Joan Jiménez Suero (42) lives and works in Miami, US. He graduated from the Escuela Superior de Artes Visuales Corriente Alterna in 2011. Jiménez Suero and his relationship with muralism dates back to the year 2000, where for the first time pieces with origins in old school graffiti came to light accompanied by his crew «DMJC». With a long trajectory in the street art scene, his work has traveled to countries such as Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Arab Emirates, Cuba, Dominican Republic and the entire American continent.

Using cut-outs and stencils, Joe Iurato brings children to life in unexpected spots throughout the Lombardijen neighbourhood. His interventions are not a single mural, but instead pop up scattered throughout the neighbourhood: on a façade, behind electricity boxes, with their little legs dangling above the water. A black-and-white palette, with the occasional deliberate splash of colour, and his combination of realistic and illustrative styles complete the playful scene. We see children clambering, peering out and standing ready with spray cans. The figures draw your attention to details in the street scene that you would normally overlook. In this way, Joe also gives centre stage to children: to their curiosity, their mischief and their uninhibited view of the world around them. A little boy embraces the world, a gesture that lends the playfulness of the whole scene a warm, hopeful undertone. In total, Joe hid 18 little works of art throughout Lombardijen. Can you spot them all?

Oma plays a supporting role in the Lombardijen mural. Here, the Fatbike takes center stage, ridden by a younger hooligan. Tuig Oma’s grandson or nephew perhaps? Sweet pastel colors, a walking stick and a cat accompany Tuig Oma here as well. And of course, she flips us a heartfelt middle finger. It’s no secret that the fatbike is popular in Rotterdam, but Lombardijen feels like the epicenter. Every minute, one goes speeding past. Tuig Oma doesn’t want to put the fatbike in a bad light. It already gets enough negative publicity. Instead, her mural honors the Fatbike as a piece of local culture. Something as simple as your choice of transportation can lead others to put you in a box and that’s certainly the case with the Fatbike. With this portrait, Tuig Oma wants to show that we can look at people with a more open mind, not as a political statement, but simply as a welcoming gesture. In any case, the Fatbike is Tuig Oma approved.

Even during ALL CAPS, the SMT crew remains anonymous, appearing only masked. As a collective, they strive to create impactful, large scale work that engages with its surroundings, the public, and the surrounding context. For ALL CAPS 2026, one member designed the piece, while the rest of the crew joined forces to bring it to life, pooling their individual expertise and skills. The designer wove in subtle odes to Rotterdam, like the iconic Cube Houses in the top left corner and authored a superhero tale dedicated to the city. The unlikely hero of this story is the famous whale tail sculpture that caught a derailed metro train in Spijkenisse five years ago. Looming above the scene is the villain in the form of an evil spirit, who plotted the accident and set it in motion. After all, a city often finds its superheroes in the most unexpected places. Normally, the SMT crew operates in unauthorized spots like train yards and dark tunnels. At ALL CAPS, things are a little different than they’re used to: equipped with cherry pickers, painting in broad daylight, and given oceans of time, they turned the whole painting process into a party. Yet, the raw adrenaline of their roots remains palpable in the work through its fast lines, stark color contrasts, bold lettering, and heavy outlines.

Estonian artist Salme Ique knows street art festivals inside and out. In Estonia, she organizes RUA Festival, intentionally bringing artists to small villages and rural communities to share public art where it rarely reaches. For ALL CAPS, Salme was invited in a different role: as an intervention artist. Rather than working on a designated large scale wall, she chose her own spots throughout the neighborhood to place smaller, intimate artworks using an unconventional medium in street art: ceramic mosaic. ALL CAPS curator Daniel connected Salme with the Lombatuin, a vibrant community garden in Lombardijen. While her initial idea was to scatter mosaic flowers across the area, she found herself deeply captivated by the insects she discovered buzzing around the garden. The resulting mosaics, featuring insects alongside a flower, are made from recycled materials gathered directly from local residents and neighborhood thrift shops, embedding pieces of the community right into the streets.

Kalani’s own roots lie in California and Hawaii, but he also shares family ties with the Lombardijen neighborhood. His father in law is a true native of Lombardijen and walked these very streets in his youth. Kalani based this portrait on a 1978 photograph of his father in law as a 17 year old. In the mural, he wears a Hawaiian floral garland, known as a lei, crafted with Bird of Paradise flowers. A bloom cherished by both men. While parts of the piece are photorealistic, the artist also incorporates more abstract shapes. These areas allow him to experiment with saturated colors and rich textures. Kalani even intentionally used the texture and color distribution caused by rain in the lower part of the hair. This marks the first time Kalani has created a portrait on such a grand scale. The different elements come together as an ode to his own roots, those of the neighborhood and above all, his wife’s family.

Along Moliéreweg, you’ll find the instantly recognizable stacked illustrated faces by Jay Flow. Right in the center, rendered in classic graffiti lettering, is the mural’s title: ‘안녕하세요’ (Annyeonghaseyo). In Korean, this serves as a formal ‘hello’, though literally translated it means ‘Are you doing well?’. This respectful greeting is commonly used when welcoming strangers. With this piece, Jay Flow extends a warm greeting to the residents of Lombardijen. Jay Flow is a keen observer of his surroundings, constantly taking note of the people around him. Their style, expressions and demeanor. These diverse faces come together in his signature style, featuring portraits of everyday people alongside a few unexpected characters. Among them, we spot a shark, an alien and a skull. Because, as Jay Flow says, everyone loves those. They are also classic, beloved motifs within graffiti culture.

With his “Fragments of Tommorow” mural for ALL CAPS 2026, Indonesian artist Hard13 (Bernhard Suryaningrat) offers a glimpse into tomorrow. Rather than fixing a single destiny, he leaves room for infinite possibilities, reminding us the future is something we build together. The colorful geometric fragments reflect these dynamic, multifaceted paths, while the vibrant technicolor shades and fluid composition create his signature futuristic aesthetic. At the center of it all is a striking photorealistic portrait of his wife. Holding a spray can in her hand, she takes total control of her narrative, coloring her own path forward. He seamlessly merges human realism with imagination, leaving Lombardijen with a powerful visual reminder: the power to shape tomorrow belongs to us.

As you enter Lombardijen via Homerusstraat, you’re greeted by the encouraging words and hopeful vision of Danish artist Stine. “Believe in you being you! Let your magic shine through!” Stine’s murals often portray young people who have faced life’s challenges. The band-aids and scratches reveal past pain, but more importantly, they symbolize resilience, youthfulness, and future potential, shining brightly through the open smile of the girl. Nature also always finds its way into Stine’s murals as a hopeful symbol of the future. Sometimes it appears in the form of an animal companion; in this work, the portrait itself is even a hybrid of a butterfly and a girl. You can also see nature taking over in the flowering branches that climb up around her ankles. Humans and nature belong together and must face the future side by side. Stine always hides small Easter eggs in her murals. These are symbols referring to her nieces and other people in her life, who will recognise the references themselves. Here, they appear in the form of bag charms, which Stine noticed were popular among many young people in Rotterdam.

In Lombardijen, Taroe has created a mural painting in the most literal sense of the word. The French artist splits his time between creating oil paintings on canvas and large scale murals. This piece, titled ‘Metal Fingers’, was applied to the wall entirely using brushes. Taroe travels extensively around the globe, capturing photos that eventually find a home in his artwork. Like a collage, he seamlessly blends captured photographs with personal memories and his own imagination. The result is a series of imagined urban landscapes that feel surprisingly familiar. In doing so, Taroe carries pieces of the world with him, planting them in new environments. For Lombardijen, fragments from various global cities have been stitched together to create an entirely new, fictional streetscape. In turn, elements of Rotterdam and Lombardijen may very well find their way into his future creations across the world.

The mural by Brazilian artist Filipe Grimaldi speaks for itself. Inspired by the rich multicultural community and the youth of Lombardijen, Filipe brings a piece of Brazilian togetherness to Rotterdam with a phrase that highlights where the future truly lies: with the kids. Filipe mastered the traditional art of Brazilian signwriting. A style historically used on storefronts, market stalls and vehicles. Filipe scaled up this handcrafted typography into a monumental piece of street art. The result is a bold, hopeful statement no one in the neighborhood can miss.