In recent years, more and more murals have enriched the streets of Rotterdam. Street art is a big part of our city!
The great thing is that the municipality of Rotterdam gives artists the space to create something cool. Because why not brighten up boring walls with high-quality street art? For example, in our city you can find the interactive Make It Happen artworks.
Since Rotterdam is increasingly put on the map internationally as a city for real street art lovers, it was time to write an article about street art in Rotterdam.
In this article you can find 11 cool murals in Rotterdam. You may already know some of the more prominent murals, but other more hidden pieces you might have never seen before. In any case, check out these cool works of art in Rotterdam!
1. El Trotamudos by Jorge Kata Núñez
Street art by Jorge Kata Núñez.
You can find this colorful work of art in a side street of the Witte de Withstraat and it has been there since 2007. It is a bit hidden, because the mural is just around the corner.
The artwork was created by the Chilean artist Jorge Kata Nuñez and is called “El Trotamundos”, which means the world traveler. The galloping horse carries a world map on his body and a peace dove on his face. The artwork stands for freedom and global citizenship.
Be sure to also read Fatima’s article with hidden spots in Rotterdam.
Where: Zwarte Paardenstraat
Artist: Jorge Kata Nuñez
2. Love Spreads by Ramon Martins
Street art by Ramon Martins.
Another work of art that can be found in a side street of the Witte de Withstraat is “Love Spreads” by Brazilian artist Ramon Martins. The mural has been here since 2009, but there are still Rotterdammers who have not seen it before, because it is just around the corner.
If you’ve ever been to the pop-up city park DÂK, you’ve probably had a great view of this colorful work of art.
Where: Kromme Elleboog
Artist: Ramon Martins
3. Telmo Miel & Smug in the Afrikaanderwijk
Street art by Smug and duo Telmo Miel.
During the POW! WOW! In Rotterdam week in 2019, a lot of artists started working in the Afrikaanderwijk on new cool murals. And the result is impressive!
For example, you have the artwork above on the Korte Hillestraat, made by the Rotterdam artists Duo Telmo (Pieper) & Miel (Krutzmann) and the Australian Sam Bates, better known as Smug. The realistic artwork with a skeleton has the wonderful message: we are all the same inside.
Where: Korte Hillestraat in Afrikaanderwijk
Artist: Duo Telmo Miel in colaboration with Smug
4. Fruit bats by Nina Valkhoff
Street art by Nina Valkhoff.
This beautiful mural was made by the Rotterdam artist Nina Valkhoff during the POW! WOW! Rotterdam week in the Afrikaanderwijk. Nina likes to show unique and “scary” animals in her work, such as these bats. The work is full of cool details, definitely worth a visit during a visit to Afrikaanderwijk!
Where: De La Reystraat in the Afrikaanderwijk
Artist: Nina Valkhoff
5. Woes in the Afrikaanderwijk
Street art by Woes.
And the last piece of street art from the Afrikaanderwijk (made during the POW! WOW! Rotterdam week) that we will show in this article: A hip hop panda on the Johannes Brandstraat! This artwork was made by the American street artist Woes.
Where: Johannes Brandstraat in the Afrikaanderwijk
Artist: Woes
6. Madre Tierra by Tymon de Laat
Street art door Tymon de Laat.
This beautiful mural in the Oude Noorden was made by the Rotterdam artist Tymon de Laat. The artwork is called “Madre Tiera”, which means Mother Earth.
Tymon de Laat has a beautiful message with this colorful mural for the people of Rotterdam: Be kind to each other. Despite our external and cultural differences, we are all human and we must live together under one roof.
Where: Noorderhof aan de Bergweg
Artist: Tymon de Laat
7. Symmetric Square by Astro
Street art by Astro.
Did you know that the West-Kruiskade was named the Rotterdam Street Art Museum in 2017? International street art artists had the opportunity to adorn different walls with the most beautiful murals.
One of the murals that was made for this open air museum is “Symmetric Square”. This artwork is created by the French artist Astro and can be found on the side of restaurant Ayla. It took me a while to discover this mural, probably because of the trees in front of it and the building that is located close to it.
Where: West-Kruiskade
Artist: Astro
8. Zeus Faber by Amok Island
Street art by Amok Island.
This mural by Amsterdam artist Amok Island was made during Sober Walls, an art project by Sober Collective.
During this project, murals were made at three different locations in Rotterdam North in collaboration with Rotterdam and CBK Rotterdam.
The colorful artwork is called “Zeus Faber”, which is Latin for John Dory. You can find it on the Erasmusstraat, near Noordplein.
Where: Erasmusstraat
Artist: Amok Island
9. Bart Smeets on the Boompjeskade
Street art by Bart Smeets.
There is a good chance that you have noticed this mini building during a walk on the Boompjeskade. It contains a lively mural of a fishing vessel in a storm, made by the Belgian artist Bart Smeets.
It is one of the interactive Make It Happen artworks in Rotterdam. The 3D effect makes it look like the boat is coming out of the wall.
Where: Boompjeskade
Artist: Bart Smeets
10. Het Laatste Onderzoek by Bier en Brood
Street art by Bier en Brood.
This cool work by Bier en Brood goes all around the old Keuringsdienst van Waren office. There is so much to see in this artwork, as it is about 100 meters of illustrations. What you see in the picture above is really only a fraction of the whole!
The black and white artwork is aptly called “Het Laatste Onderzoek”, which means The Last Research in Dutch. It also depicts all kinds of experiments, a big nod to the former Inspection Service of Waren.
Where: Baan
Artist: Bier en Brood
11. Lastplak on the Baan
Street art by Lastplak.
Another special mural on the Baan is the above artwork by the collective Lastplak, made by the street art artists Ox-Alien, Edo Rath, Sake, Pinwin, Grrt, Boortorrie, Oles, June, 6of7 and KBTR.
Several iconic buildings in Rotterdam are playfully portrayed here. For example, you see the Cube Houses, the Euromast, the Erasmus Bridge (of course as a swan) and the Market Hall. It looks like the city is being attacked by aliens.
Where: Baan
Artist: Lastplak
Did you already know these cool murals in Rotterdam? Time to go outside and admire it yourself. Or maybe you have tips for spots with cool street art in our city? Let us know in the comments below!
TIP: To discover even more street art in Rotterdam, I recommend the Rewriters app. This app takes you to the most beautiful street art in Rotterdam and gives you background information about the artwork and the artist. The routes are updated several times a year, so there is always something new to discover!
