Street Art Cities

In just three weeks, painter Rachel van Balen created a large mural on Poortersplein. She did this after a request from the resident of the house.

There was ivy on the wall for years that was recently removed. “The resident thought it had become a bare hallway and therefore contacted the housing association,” says Van Balen.

Van Balen has been painting the wall on behalf of Nijestee over the past three weeks. An old house is depicted at the bottom. “It once stood here on the corner of the Damsterdiep and the Oostersingel. After the war the house was badly damaged and was therefore demolished. That's why many people think it's nice to see it again.”

The flowers are also striking. An old garden that used to be around the corner served as inspiration for this. The garden was designed around 1850 by landscape architect Lambertus Vlaskamp, ​​the father of Gerrit Vlaskamp who, among other things, designed Park Groenestein in Helpman. “For example, stinsen plants also grew in the garden,” says Van Balen. “And they are also reflected in this painting.”

The alley where the wall is painted looks quiet, but is also often used as a shortcut. “There are actually four roads coming together here,” says van Balen. Many passers-by recently took a moment to reflect on Van Balen's work. “I received a lot of thanks and compliments. That's really fun.”