PRESS RELEASE
The artist known as Shoe, aka Niels Meulman (1967, Amsterdam) is the inventor of Calligraffiti – calligraphy and graffiti merged into one art form. Shoe began tagging when he was 13 years old and now he’s a locally and internationally renowned artist, designer, art director and owner of Unruly, a brand of designer silk scarves.
Different Strokes, Meulman’s third exhibition of Calligraffiti-works, will open December 18th at the Rush Hour record store in Amsterdam. When asked why this atypical location, the artist replies:

“Graffiti belongs outside, in the streets. The Calligraffiti pieces however, are framed to hang inside. But I still want the work to relate to its space and surroundings. Take for instance the Nosmo King exhibition in café De Duivel; that work dealt with the new ban on smoking. I’m now preparing an exhibition in Berlin, where I’m inspired by an old German handwriting that was forbidden in 1941. Or maybe it’s because I’m used to think in concepts, having worked for years in advertising. Anyway, I try to stay away from those clinical gallery spaces for the elite.”

In Different Strokes, Meulman shows a series of titles. Some of those titles are of existing tracks from the Rush Hour label, others ask the viewer to imagine their own complementary sound.

Over the past ten years Rush Hour, music store, mail-order and record label, has cultivated itself into an institute for electronic music and a haven for music lovers worldwide. The reputation it has built mainly comes from the fact that the people at Rush Hour focus on music they totally believe in and love. Rush Hour also has a keen eye for art and has always worked with many local artists, like Delta, Machine and Parra. This is the first time Rush Hour organizes an art exhibition.

Different Strokes, 19 December – 18 January 2008
Rush Hour, Spuistraat 98, Amsterdam

Press contact:
Antal Heitlager
Email: antal@rushhour.nl
Phone: +316 2655 6717
Additional information:
www.rushhour.nl
www.nielsshoemeulman.com
www.calligraffiti.nl