STRAAT and Dutch Graffiti Library

STRAAT Museum Offers Deeper Insight into Graffiti in the ESSENCE

Fundamentals, Codes, and Cultural Significance at Heart of Exhibition

PRESS RELEASE

Amsterdam, 2 March 2026

From 10 April 2026, STRAAT Museum will present the ESSENCE, an exhibition exploring the cultural significance of graffiti. Featuring objects, materials, and stories from the Dutch Graffiti Library collection—which has been documenting graffiti culture for over 35 years—the exhibition highlights the intentions, codes, and foundations of graffiti. On the occasion of the exhibition, legendary New York graffiti pioneer Bill Blast aka Wise (William Cordero) will create a new work and host a blackbook signing session on Saturday 11 April.

From the handball courts and the underground in New York to the rise of the Dutch graffiti scene, the ESSENCE shows how graffiti evolved into a global visual language and laid the foundation for contemporary movements such as urban contemporary and street art. The exhibition focuses on the core of graffiti: names, tags, strokes, and repetition as the building blocks of a visual system.

Line, form, flow, and rhythm merge into a unique visual language, driven by repetition, movement, and the urge to claim a place in a self-created world. the ESSENCE reveals both the visible and the abstract, conceptual dimensions of graffiti, in which identity, reputation, and community are central.

the ESSENCE does not tell a chronological story and does not aim for completeness. Instead, the exhibition presents a concentrated visual narrative, rooted in the past but with an eye on the present, in which graffiti is shown as a living, continuously evolving practice that has inspired generations of makers and continues to influence art, culture, fashion, and design worldwide.

Bill Blast (NYC) Creates New Work and Signs Black Books at STRAAT
On the occasion of the ESSENCE, Bill Blast aka Wise (William Cordero) will create a new work in STRAAT. The legendary New York graffiti pioneer made the leap from streets and subways to galleries in the early 1980s and in 1982 created iconic works on the handball court at the famous Rock Steady Park in New York, which inspired many European graffiti writers. His connection with the Netherlands began with exhibitions at the Yaki Kornblit Gallery in Amsterdam and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, marking his early international breakthrough in the European art scene. In 1983, he also created a work on the streets of Amsterdam. On Saturday, 11 April at 14:30, Blast will be interviewed at STRAAT. Following this, at 15:30, there will be a black book signing session during which visitors can have their sketchbooks signed.

Collaboration between STRAAT Museum and Dutch Graffiti Library
STRAAT and Dutch Graffiti Library are entering into a three-year collaboration to make graffiti visible as culture and heritage. A portion of the Dutch Graffiti Library collection will be permanently on display. STRAAT provides an international museum context, while Dutch Graffiti Library contributes over 35 years of archive, research, and collection. Together, they create a structural presentation highlighting the history, community, and cultural significance of graffiti.

About Dutch Graffiti Library
For more than 35 years, Dutch Graffiti Library has been documenting graffiti culture. In 2014, a private collection of over 15,000 objects was consolidated under the name Dutch Graffiti Library. The collection includes photographs, books, ephemera (zines, magazines, posters, and flyers), sketches, paintings, screenprints, and post-graffiti works. The core of the collection originates from the Netherlands–Paris–New York triangle, where graffiti strongly developed in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Dutch Graffiti Library regards both the objects and the stories as cultural heritage, contributing to the tangible and intangible history of the Netherlands.

About STRAAT Museum
STRAAT Museum is the leading museum for street art and graffiti, housed in a monumental warehouse of approximately 8,000 m² on the NDSM site in Amsterdam. The museum presents more than 180 large-scale works by artists from the Netherlands and abroad. In addition to showcasing monumental artworks, STRAAT highlights the background, stories, and developments within street art and graffiti culture.

Note for the Press – Not for Publication

The press preview will take place on Thursday 9 April from 10:00 to 12:00. Registrations and interview requests can be sent to bureau@heidivandamme.nl  or +31 (0)6 295 32 686.

The opening reception will take place on Thursday 9 April from 18:00 to 21:00, in the presence of Bill Blast. RSVP via exhibitions@straatmuseum.com.

STRAAT Museum
NDSM-Plein 1, Amsterdam
www.straatmuseum.com