Have you seen our Instagram-page? On a daily basis, we share pictures from the newest street artworks, golden oldies, and stunning murals. We couldn’t do that without our dedicated team of Instagrammers! They are constantly spotting new pieces, sharing them with us and the world. Get to know them better with our Instagrammer Q&A and by their favorite works.
.Name: Gijs.
.Instagram: gijzh.
.Street art spotter since: 2015.
.Tools: Nikon D3400, including a wide-angle lens and Xiaomi M18 phone.Â
When did you start spotting street art?
I started in 2015 after visiting Berlin. I always liked art in any form, but when seeing some of Berlin’s finest street art I was hooked and started to visit cities to spot street art.
This is just a small selection. There are so many great artists that I just had to pick some of the ones I like. I really love Jade Rivera‘s work. It’s always a bit dreamy with nice (pastel) colors. This was the first one I ever found when I was backpacking Peru. It’s situated in one of the areas in Lima (Barranco) I like the most and when I see it again I always have to think back to the great time I had in Peru.
With what kind of camera do you take the pictures?
I always bring my Nikon D3400 including a wide-angle lens because lots of street art can be found in small alleys or big walls. A wide-angle lens really helps to capture the whole wall. Besides the Nikon, I also bring my mobile phone, which is a Xiaomi MI8. Really love the camera on this Xiaomi phone.
What is your first street art memory?
The visit to Berlin when seeing a piece made by Alice Pasquini.
Die Antwoord by Belin in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. This is part of a huge wall behind the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven. It’s so realistic, intense and it has great colors. I like the whole wall which also contains work by Studio Giftig. Definitely worth checking out!
What is your weirdest street art memory?
Using a drone to get a good picture of the Sleeping Fox made by Dzia. My first real experience with a drone. The outcome was amazing so I’m pretty sure it will not be the last time I’m going to use one.
This huge sleeping fox is made on a basketball court by Dzia. Always love seeing Dzia’s work because of the lines and colors he uses for creating his art which mainly consists out of animals. I particularly like this work, because it was a challenge to take a good picture of it. In the end, we used a drone for it. It really was worth all the effort.
Do you have your own (illegal) experience doing street art?
Not yet, but working on some ideas!
How can I not love this wall? It’s super realistic like almost all of Bart Smeet’s work. I posted this one at the ASA Instagram wall and it got over 10.000 likes.
What kind of feeling does street art give you?Â
The feeling of freedom and no rules, everything is possible. In the rarest places, you will find street art and it always surprises me because you never know what exactly you find. This can be the location but also the size, colors, style, technique, etc. Seeing these pieces of art always makes me happy. And it also is improving the environment for the people who are living there.
I recently saw a Bordallo II work for the first time. This was during my Holiday in Portugal with my girlfriend. It instantly hooked me due to the fact he uses waste to create art. This lynx in Lisbon is the one I like the most so far. It’s huge and entirely made out of plastic waste.
Do you secretly stalk an artist?
Nope. I like diversity, but some artists are a little bit easier to find because of the high number of works they have in certain places.
For more great street art pictures, follow Gijzh on his Instagram.
