Hip Hop Is: Niels “Shoe” Meulman, a European graffiti legend, creates a 13-meter wall at the Groninger Museum
Groninger Museum
Until May 10, 2026, the famous Groninger Museum in the Netherlands presents "Hip Hop Is", a major exhibition dedicated to the history, energy and aesthetics of hip hop culture. At the heart of the project, one of the most influential figures in contemporary graffiti, Niels Shoe Meulman, with whom the gallery is working, unveils a new site specific work: a 13 meter long wall created especially for the exhibition.
The Groninger Museum holds a singular place in the history of graffiti and street art. As early as the nineteen eighties and nineties, it stood out as a pioneering institution, integrating these forms of expression into its program well before they received broad institutional recognition. With "Hip Hop Is", this tradition continues through a renewed perspective on a global culture that continues to inspire new generations.
Among the exhibition spaces, one gallery is also entirely dedicated to Rammellzee, a major figure of the hip hop avant garde, now reintroduced within a museum context. Niels Shoe Meulman’s contribution, through the scale of his intervention and his distinctive calligraffiti technique, underscores the richness and diversity of the approaches presented. His monumental wall fully embodies the spirit of a museum that has consistently fostered dialogue between history, contemporary creation and emerging cultural movements.
December 13, 2025
