Niels Shoe Meulman. Shoe Is My Middle Name.

Shoe Is My Middle Name. Niels Shoe Meulman. 2016

Graffiti writer, calligrapher, painter, typographer—Meulman’s professional identities have long orbited the written mark. “Shoe Is My Middle Name” gathers those decades-deep orbits into one gravitational field, presenting a mid-career survey whose scale and heft match the artist’s sweeping gestures. Photographs of murals, canvases, and poetry scrolls are sequenced chronologically yet feel rhythmic, echoing the repetitive muscle memory that turns letters into pictures.

The early chapters recall a precocious Amsterdam teen who imported New York Wild-Style back to Europe after meeting Dondi White, while later spreads document how that fluency in urban letterforms morphed into what critics dubbed “calligraffiti.” Ink splashes, broom-wide strokes, and squeegee drags demonstrate Meulman’s commitment to an all-in mark: once pigment meets surface, there are, as he writes, “no half steps.” Quotes, diary fragments, and the full-page poem “A Writer’s Song” punctuate the visuals, anchoring grand abstractions in an autobiographical voice both swaggering and reflective.

Design decisions amplify the work. A cerulean wash and stippled black screen run throughout, unifying studio shots with roof-top brooms and gallery floors still wet with diluted acrylic. The layout grants images generous white space, allowing smudges and bleeds to breathe; occasional gatefolds oblige readers to perform their own small gesture of unfolding, mirroring the artist’s physical approach.

An essay by Carlo McCormick positions Meulman as a “cross-pollinator” who carried graffiti’s DNA back across the Atlantic, while short captions dissect technique without lapsing into instruction. The cumulative effect is neither manifesto nor catalogue raisonné but a portrait of continuous experimentation—of a writer who refuses to freeze a style even as he memorializes it in print.

For personal and institutional library collections focused on contemporary typography, graffiti history, or hybrid painting practices, Shoe Is My Middle Name offers a substantive, visually arresting reference. Its blend of large-format reproductions, archival ephemera, and primary-source text renders it invaluable to scholars tracking the evolution of post-Wild-Style lettering and to artists seeking proof that disciplined hand-skills can still break new ground.