Centraal Museum
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Graffiti encounters
Meet artists with roots in graffiti, learn about their practice, and create your own work using their techniques.
According to artist and co-curator Ned Vena, graffiti is not only something you create, but also a way of looking at the world.
“Graffiti was how I found my way into being an artist, but it is also how I see things; things like art, for example.”
This perspective lies at the heart of the exhibition Graffiti and forms the starting point for a series of three artist encounters.
Explore graffiti through artists’ eyes
Across three Graffiti Encounters, you will meet artists and makers whose practices are rooted in graffiti.
Each workshop begins with an introduction to the artistic practice of a graffiti writer or contemporary artist. Through personal stories, sources of inspiration, and working methods, you will discover how graffiti has shaped the way they approach art and perceive the world around them.
The encounter then becomes hands-on. Guided by the artist, you will explore elements of their process, experiment with techniques drawn from their practice, and apply their way of seeing and making in your own work.
Graffiti encounter with High on Type
Experiment with homemade writing tools and discover how lines, letters and meaning emerge through writing together. With the artist collective High on Type, you’ll explore writing as movement: creating your own tools, leaving traces and working towards collective artworks with a distinctive hand.
Date: November 1, 2026; February 14, 2027; March 14, 2027
Admission: General admission €28, Museum Card/VIP Card/Friends Pass €10, CJP & student card €20.50
Graffiti encounter with Mick La Rock
Learn how an ordinary letter can be transformed into a unique graffiti letter. Artist Mick La Rock takes you through the building blocks of lettering and shows you how to stretch, bend, distort and abstract letters to create your own visual language. You’ll work with the letters of your own name and discover why names and style are so important in graffiti culture.
Date: January 30, 2027
Admission: Regular €23, Museum Card/VIP Card/Friends Pass €5, CJP & student card €15.50
Graffiti encounter with Henny Overbeek
What happens when, instead of starting from your own idea, you pick up where someone else left off? During this session, you will take part in The Books Happen, Henny Overbeek’s collaborative project. You will work in a booklet that someone else has already started, responding with cut-outs, drawings, texts or other materials before passing the book on to the next participant. In this way, a shared story emerges that no one could have created alone.
Date: February 27, 2027
Admission: General admission €23, Museum Card/VIP Card/Friends Pass €5, CJP & student card €15.50
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