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United Painting

‘Some of us are from here, others from elsewhere. People also come from afar – Amsterdam is where we meet. An international village with delusions of grandeur and an underdog complex, with shit on the sidewalk and more bicycles than residents. Always on the move, with the only constant being that nothing stays the same.’

Optimistic resistance (2020)

‘Some of us are from here, others from elsewhere, and people come from afar. Amsterdam is where we meet. An international village with delusions of grandeur and an underdog complex, with shit on the sidewalk and more bicycles than residents. Always on the move, with the only constant being that nothing stays the same.

As residents, we make the city – and we should relate to that city. So let’s make room for what matters, for what makes Amsterdam the city where we want to be. We do this – as we have for years – with a paintbrush in hand. We take on existing places and we bring new places into existence. We remember what has disappeared and resist the unwanted. What we miss, we bring to life, and who or what is invisible, we make visible. Together with old and new residents we discuss colour, shape, content, and opinion. Dreaming about the past, the present and the future, we paint our way through our city.

The result is both a tribute to the process and an invitation to meet each other. Because together we make the city.’

United Painting

United Painting is a collective of creative  thinkers and makers operating at the  intersection of art and society.  

For the first edition of Refresh Amsterdam a visual identity has been developed,  based on patterns by United Painting  (Marije Lytske Hester). The graphic visual language  encourages connection through the  recognizable, but flexible design that  participants can apply as they see fit, with  respect for the personalities and missions of  everyone involved. It is an active invitation  to make a connection through creative  freedom – with each other, with visitors, and  with the city.

 

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Photo credit: Nicola Borghini

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