Born, raised and based in Amsterdam, Meulman began tagging “Shoe” in 1979 and became a graffiti legend by the time he was 18. In the eighties, he met New York graffiti artists like Dondi, Rammellzee, Haze, Quik and Keith Haring after which he then formed the Crime Time Kings with Bando from Paris and Mode2 from London. Together, they gave graffiti in Europe its own distinctive style.
In the nineties, he furthered his technique by apprenticing under Dutch graphic design master Anthon Beeke. Shoe proceeded to run his own design company, Caulfield & Tensing, and was a partner in advertising agency Unruly, which he later turned into a brand for silk scarves.
Shoe is recognized for revolutionizing the art of writing with Calligraffiti, an art form that combines masterful calligraphy skills with the speed and attitude of graffiti. He launched this movement in 2007 with a successful solo exhibition in Amsterdam. Since then, his Calligraffiti pieces, which he signs NSM, have been presented in various international exhibitions.
In 2010, the book Calligraffiti – The Graphic Art of Niels Shoe Meulman was launched in Berlin and Shoe has since been touring to present the book and his art.
The Project Space exhibition “Calligraffiti Throw-Ups” is a new series of carbon acrylic on linen canvas works inspired by Shoe’s love for baseball, mayhem and cosmic unconsciousness.
Exhibition: Oct 21 – Nov 21
Project Space
603 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90036
+1-323-938-8818
Wednesday – Sunday
11am – 7pm
