Arriving late to the conference, I missed out on the Rotterdam Street Art tour.  But lucky for me (and you) that I discovered the ReWriters app that you can download (for a small fee) and tour the city’s street art on your own.  If you are familiar with street art, you know that it is a living museum that changes daily and really is never the same tour twice. I encourage you to take time to check out a city’s street art as it takes the pulse of the city, country and the world through local and international street artists. After your visit to the Cube Houses and the food hall next door at De Markthal, a street art tour of Rotterdam is a must to walk off those indulgent calories and explore the city in a new way!

The Street Art in Rotterdam is a bit unique as it showcases local Dutch artists and much of it is commissioned by shop/building owners so the shelf life is a little longer than most street art.

Rotterdam Street Art App

The ReWriters app is definitely worth the money as it is lovingly developed to not only showcase the Rotterdam Street Art on one of three walking tours but each artwork is featured in the app with artists detail as well as description and background of the wall art.  One bonus feature for me, although it does use data, is having the location set so that as you walk, the phone will prompt you when the street art is nearby (**Note: It requires “Location Always” to work so turn that off once done).  No longer are you the Google Maps blue dot wandering aimlessly through alleys and streets (I’m a bad blue dot), the ReWriter app directs you the best it can (I had one blip only due to a construction zone blocking the walls but a resident figured I was lost looking for art and pointed it out). You can choose to download the “offline” version which does everything except real time direct you to the art – so decide if you want to be the blue dot or not.

Rotterdam Street Art – City Center Art Walk (Modified)

Given my lack of time and location far from the iconic Centraal train station which is the starting point of the main City Center walk,  (estimated time of three hours for five miles or 8km and 167min) I cut the main walk down to what was nearest to my hotel (The Mainport Rotterdam) and would provide a good assortment of art.  The city center street art Rotterdam tour is 8km/167 mins. (about five miles and nearly 3 hours).

To be honest, I was pretty impressed with the modified route and the plethora of art on the walls to find.  A bit like an organized scavenger hunt of Rotterdam Street Art with an introduction to new artists in the medium.  The street art that I saw was primarily painted pieces by local Rotterdam artists – I didn’t see wheat pastes, stickers or yarn bombing or my walk (a few mediums of street art in Paris, London and Melbourne).

I began my tour at #17 by Ces53 entitled “Painting in the global tradition, slight return” not far from Leuvehaven Street and the Maritime Museum.

I then made my way to Witte de Withstraat which is filled with restaurants, cafes, entertainment and a popular King Kong hostel and bar (note they have dorms and private room options).

If I didn’t find the art, there was enough food and drink to make me happy but I found the art easily and took a break for delicious frites from Frietboutique by Sammy & Pebbles.  It helped that art stop #26 was on the nearby shop side wall – this popular piece “Love Birds” also served as the artist’s marriage proposal (she said “yes”).

The artwork is quite varied, colorful and located throughout this small section of the city along storefronts, planters (cleverly disguised security barriers), and side walls laid bare before new construction and in the normal places.  It didn’t much stick out but blend in as much as it could especially in the children’s park.  But each piece of art has an origin, a story to be told and a lesson to be learned (hopefully). You can see influences, feel themes and also escape into the art (see the steps for you to interact with the art).

Rotterdam Street Art – Message & Security

The art in the children’s park has quite a story – “Children are more dependent on their electronic devices than human contacts” by the artist duo TelmoMiel.  “This wall shows the life of modern kids that shut themselves off from the outside world.  The majority of today’s emerging generation does not learn how they can expand their world by using their own mind instead of using technology and social media”.  What at first seems playful with a child in a box is meant to convey so much more.  I’m not sure I really got that on my first viewing of the art in the playground.  The ReWriters app definitely added the missing background information and context – I wonder how many folks who see the art daily get the intent behind the playfulness?

When the city became concerned about security in public gathering places, they added concrete barriers along the street to prevent cars from driving on the sidewalk and at people.  Street artists were asked to brighten the square barriers and artists such as Ox-Alien and various artists from the Lastplak Collective contributed their works on each side of the squares.

Other Street Art in Rotterdam

With so much street art highlighted in the app, there are other art pieces that haven’t made the ReWriters app but you can see as you wander the area.  Buildings boasting portraits, paintings and murals.

The streetscape lined with lighting and words such as “Cool”, “Witty” and “Zwart”. Once you see street art, your eyes are keyed in to find more hidden secrets on the walls, in parking lots behind fences and in the alleyways.   Storefronts have jumped into colorful art to hide the drab security gates and the local group #MaisonSavant creates murals based on their Outsider Art program which helps disabled people. I found their Mural  Wall #3 -2018 on Witte de Withhof as I was struck by the colors in the alley as I was walking by.

Even the neon sign with the Andy Warhol quote “In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes” can count as street art in my opinion.  The fleeting nature of celebrity, of fame, is similar to the fleeting nature of street art.

Final Thoughts – Rotterdam Street Art

As a fan of street art around the world and a few famous international artists, it was nice to see the local flair of the Rotterdam Street Art and the Dutch artists. For the most part, the art wasn’t controversial as it might be elsewhere especially as the city and shop owners are keen to commission the street artist to create artwork on their property.

That said, if you are keen to see the Rotterdam Street Art, you can happen upon it, pay for an organized Street Art Rotterdam walk or go it alone like I did downloading the ReWriters app and exploring the city’s charm through its art and food.

You can choose how you consume the art, how you interpret it and how you share it with friends, family and social media.  If you do share on social media, please remember to list the artist and hashtag #streetart so that their work is credited appropriately.  It doesn’t take much research to find the artist of the work you experience so please be responsible with the art.  My wander around Rotterdam was quite fun as I discovered new artists, colorful art and learned more about the art.  On my next visit to discover Rotterdam to #MakeItHappen, I look foward to doing the entire Street Art in Rotterdam walking tours to see even more local art.