At the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam you will find the graffiti and street art museum STRAAT. In the collection of STRAAT you will find 150 works by 130 different artists from all over the world.
The origin of graffiti
Graffiti has its origins in the 1970s. It started with painting subway cars and writing your name repeatedly. There were all rules to this. Eventually more and more artists distanced themselves from these rules in order to create their own style. The works of these artists grew bigger and eventually developed into large murals on the street. You can see this development life-size in the museum.
Five themes
The museum is divided into five themes: personal, aesthetic, connected, conscious and empathetic. The works from the museum’s collection are all grouped under one of these themes. Some pieces leave nothing to the imagination, while others are made to give the visitor an active interpretation of what the artist means. The artists have been inspired by the environment in which they find themselves. For example, life in large cities, social themes or everyday themes.