AMSTERDAM.- In the summer of 2025, the STRAAT Museum brings the big names of Brazilian street art to Amsterdam with the exhibitions Pixação: Resistance and Rebellion and NaLata X STRAAT. Both projects highlight Brazil’s unique influence on urban art, offering cultural, political, and historical perspectives that deepen understanding of the global movement through a distinctly Brazilian lens. In particular, street art from São Paulo has influenced contemporary artists and street art movements worldwide.


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Pixação: Resistance and Rebellion

The Brazilian summer at STRAAT opens with an exhibition that provides in-depth insight into pixação, a radical and raw Brazilian style of street expression that is seen as both protest and cultural expression. The exhibition explores the world of pixação culture with a comprehensive look at its socio-political significance and unique aesthetic approach. It features important, original work by prominent pixadores, including Cripta Djan, Eneri and LIXOMANIA!.zé, focusing on their different styles and the evolution of the movement. Archival footage, photographs and newspaper clippings from the featured artists' personal collections provide historical context. The exhibition also presents original artworks from different series by the featured artists, alongside original pieces by other pixadores from various regions of Brazil highlighting the aesthetic diversity of styles across the country. Two new large-scale canvas additions including one from Eneri and one from LIXOMANIA!.zé will be added to the main hall collection joining the existing collection piece of Cripta Djan. There will also be an audio tour, public talks, and a range of clothing and educational materials to further immerse visitors in the rich and evolving culture of pixação. The exhibition runs from June 27 to August 31, 2025.


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NaLata X STRAAT

With NaLata X STRAAT, the STRAAT Museum is bringing São Paulo's international street art festival NaLata to Amsterdam from August 15 through October 31, 2025. The festival, one of the largest in South America, has been around since 2020 and is best known for inviting leading international artists - including Okuda, PichiAvo and Shepard Fairey - to paint side walls of skyscrapers. In addition to art, the festival offers free lectures, workshops and music, highlighting all parts of the street art community. The NaLata X STRAAT exhibition features seven artworks from the 2024 edition in São Paulo in the museum's main hall. They are large canvases by Enivo, Magrela, Dolores Esos, Priscilla “Pri” Barbosa, Deco Treco, Lobot and Mundano. Two other Brazilian giants, namely Speto and Tinho, are invited to the museum to create new work for STRAAT's collection.

The Embassy of Brazil in The Hague is a partner and sponsor of both exhibitions and emphasizes the relevance of pixação and graffiti as organic and powerful forms of artistic expression, deeply rooted in Brazil's urban culture. Far beyond aesthetic manifestations, these art forms carry strong elements of social critique, serving as visual testimonies of the complexities present in Brazilian society. Urban art in Brazil transcends its visual impact, acting as a dynamic platform for dialogue, reflection, and reclaiming of public space.

Distinction between pixação, graffiti and street art

Although all three forms of expression involve markings in public spaces, they differ in style, intent and social reception. Graffiti is a bold form of visual expression, often rooted in lettering styles, vibrant colors and connected to the rise of hip-hop culture. It is often seen as rebellious, and also illegal if applied without permission. Street art covers a wider range of visual art forms, including murals, stencils and installations. Street art often conveys social or political messages and, in the case of murals, is sometimes created with owners' permission, leading to more favorable public appreciation. Pixação is almost exclusively text-based, distinguished by its monochromatic, angular writing. As an emphatic social and political protest, the texts are usually done illegally. Pixação artists often take significant risks to make their messages seen, sometimes scaling or rappelling down skyscrapers as part of their bold process.



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