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Creativity, diversity, and community in the streets of Amsterdam

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I love cities that exude creativity, energy, diversity, and community.

Amsterdam definitely has those values.  There are two places I start when exploring a new place.  The first is food culture.  The second is art.

To me street art is the most accessible art.

And after learning so much about the history and cultural relevance of street art in Buenos Aires, I am drawn to explore it in any city I visit.

Amsterdam Street Art

 

I noticed the street art the first day I started exploring the city.

I had done my research and wanted to join a street art tour with AllTourNative Amsterdam. What intrigued me about the tourism company is that they place an emphasis on getting off the beaten path and looking for the weird and wonderful. And their street art tours are actually led my local artists.

 

They didn’t have a regular tour scheduled during my visit, but they did let me tag along with a large school group tour.

Meet my tour guide and local artist

This tour was led by local artist Maurice (aka Asbest Pentagram). Check out some of his own photography and street art on his Flickr page.

 

Hearing the stories behind the art is what makes the experience special.  The most intriguing story for me is about the mysterious artist who has been creating bronze and iron sculptures for 15 years and secretly installing them in public places around the city.

 

There is a growing trend for residents and business owners asking artists to create larger pieces on the sides of buildings as a way to help beautify the area.

This walking tour does stick to the city center, but we walked on streets I never would have passed through on my own. While I had been feeling lost my first couple of days in Amsterdam, this day is when I started to recognize landmarks and street intersections.

The city started to feel more familiar.

 

I realized I had been close to some of the artwork before but didn’t know something so interesting or beautiful was just around the corner.

 

This is just a small sampling of the street art I saw in Amsterdam.

The next time I return to the city, I plan to do the street art biking tour with AllTourNative Amsterdam to go a little further outside the city center and see some bigger walls.

How does the street art in Amsterdam compare to what you have seen in other cities?

Comments

  8. When I get a chance to travel to Amsterdam, I will surely for these artistic streets. Do they have a law that prohibits someone from painting a wall?

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