Two Urban Art Innovators from Different Worlds
The international urban art scene is a vast and diverse landscape, where artists use walls, streets, and found objects to communicate their vision. Among the many names that stand out, Art Is Trash (Francisco de Pájaro) from Barcelona and Niels Meulman from Amsterdam have developed distinct artistic identities that push the boundaries of contemporary street art — but in very different directions.
While both operate outside the strict confines of traditional galleries, their approaches, techniques, and messages reflect completely different philosophies and cultural contexts.
Origins and Influences
Art Is Trash was born in Zafra, Spain, and eventually made Barcelona his artistic base. His style was shaped by a mix of visual arts, theatre, and the chaotic energy of the streets. The main “canvas” for his work is often whatever he finds in urban trash piles — discarded furniture, cardboard boxes, broken household items — which he transforms into satirical and whimsical figures. His art emerged from necessity and rebellion, rejecting elitist notions of what art should be.
Niels Meulman, born in Amsterdam in 1967, is a designer, graffiti pioneer, and visual artist credited with creating the Calligraffiti movement — a fusion of classical calligraphy and street graffiti. Trained in typography and deeply rooted in the Dutch design tradition, Meulman began his career in the graffiti scene in the early 1980s. Over time, he merged the elegance of calligraphic letterforms with the raw energy of spray paint, creating a distinctive style that bridges fine art, design, and urban culture.
Medium and Materials
Art Is Trash works with found objects, trash, and urban debris, using acrylics, spray paint, and markers directly on these unconventional surfaces. His art is often temporary — left in the street until it is either destroyed by the elements or removed. The choice of materials is part of the message: society discards not only physical objects but also ideas, people, and creativity.
Niels Meulman operates with ink, brushes, spray paint, and high-quality surfaces ranging from large-scale murals to canvases and installations. His medium is words — executed in flowing, expressive strokes that combine classical penmanship with contemporary graffiti techniques. His pieces are designed for both the street and the gallery, with an emphasis on lasting impact and precision.
Style and Aesthetic
Art Is Trash embraces a rough, improvisational aesthetic. Figures are exaggerated, playful, and often grotesque, with a cartoonish energy that turns urban waste into living characters. His work is full of irony and humor, often responding to its environment in site-specific ways.
Niels Meulman focuses on the visual beauty of written language. His style is refined yet energetic — bold brushwork with carefully crafted curves, splashes, and textures. Each piece is a balance between chaos and control, blending the elegance of calligraphy with the rebelliousness of graffiti.
Themes and Messages
Art Is Trash delivers satirical, political, and social commentary through his work. By reimagining garbage as art, he critiques consumerism, waste culture, and societal hypocrisy. His street installations often provoke passersby to reconsider what has value and what doesn’t.
Niels Meulman uses words, phrases, and poetic expressions as both form and content. His Calligraffiti is not only about visual appeal but also about meaning — the text itself becomes a carrier of emotion, philosophy, or social reflection. His work often meditates on language, perception, and the timeless power of words.
The Role of Permanence
For Art Is Trash, impermanence is essential. His art is intentionally vulnerable, meant to disappear, echoing the transient nature of street life and the throwaway mentality of modern society.
For Niels Meulman, permanence and presentation matter more. While he began in the ephemeral world of graffiti, his calligraphic works are now collected, exhibited, and preserved. The act of writing remains spontaneous, but the finished pieces are often destined for long-term viewing.
Cultural Position
Art Is Trash stands firmly in the underground and activist side of urban art. His work is accessible to everyone — found on sidewalks, alleys, and building facades. It exists outside the market until documented or collected, and even then, it resists full commodification.
Niels Meulman straddles both street culture and the high art market. His pieces are equally at home in luxury galleries, corporate collections, and international design exhibitions. Calligraffiti has become a recognized global art movement, influencing typography, branding, and visual culture.
Why They Are Different — Yet Both Matter
The key difference between Art Is Trash and Niels Meulman lies in focus and medium:
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Art Is Trash uses discarded physical objects as the core of his practice, with a raw, narrative-driven, site-specific approach.
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Niels Meulman uses words and letterforms as his main subject, blending centuries-old calligraphic traditions with modern graffiti energy.
Yet, they share a commitment to breaking artistic boundaries and engaging directly with the public. Both challenge conventional notions of where art belongs and what it can be — whether in the chaos of a garbage pile or in the fluid beauty of a brushstroke.
