Street Art Frankey
Interview by Jasmin Hoek
Streetart Frankey is an artist and is particularly known for his street art. With his creations he likes to make people laugh. He has an important rule with his street work: out of love for his own city of Amsterdam, he does not break anything. All his works are attached with tie wraps, magnets, tape or an iron wire. So that when someone doesn't like it, it's gone in no time and looks like before. We asked him 5 questions based on the 5 keywords of the Amsterdam Museum: Amsterdam, Openness, Connecting, Narrative and Relevant.
Truly Amsterdam
What is Amsterdam to you?
Amsterdam feels like home. At home you feel at ease. Always when I've been abroad or wherever, as soon as I drive into Amsterdam I think; 'yes I'm home again'. It's a beautiful city with so many beautiful places. If you live somewhere longer, certain places become meaningful to you because you have experienced something there. I've lived there for 25 years now, so I have so many such points that I pass by that bring up a memory. Take Paradiso, I cycle past that almost every day. How much I've seen there, wow. There's also so much happening in Amsterdam.
Open
What does open mean to you?
I'm visually inclined, so I immediately think of the signs at the snack bar with "open" on them. That's the best-selling snack bar sign ever. Actually, a snack bar is approachable and accessible to everyone; if it's open, anyone can and may step inside.
The things I make are also pretty approachable and accessible to everyone. I think I particularly mean that last one, "accessible to everyone," by "open.
Connecting
Why is it important to keep connecting? What person, collective or organization is a connector for you and why?
Connecting I think creates inspiration and from inspiration comes creation. Places where people connect, come together and get inspired, I think that's the answer for me. A specific place for me for that is Paradiso, but I think it's all creative places from museums like Foam and the Stedelijk to different galleries in the city. There are so many places here where you can get inspiration and where the creative offerings are also constantly changing. It's cool to visit those places, because from that inspiration you also stimulate new creation. All the people involved also inspire each other. It's kind of like a wheel that keeps spinning. For me these are often people who work from a very positive origin, so without hurting, and on the other hand also all the disruptors, also in a positive way.
Narrative
What stories are most valuable to you?
I like to learn, so I think stories with a "fact. Amsterdam has a lot of stories like that. A very nice one I personally think is that near the Victoria Hotel is a little house of people who never left. They had received some kind of offer at the time, turned it down and just stayed put. Once you know it, you keep seeing it and then you really get a picture of it.
That kind of "knowing" makes something you see have extra meaning.
Relevant
How do you stay relevant in this day and age?
By never stopping learning and continuously taking inspiration. I think all the inspiration and everything you learn, you also use again for your own creation. I think everything you throw in at the top comes back out. I think you stay relevant by staying up to date and continuing to see things that are relevant.