Mackplakt’s Top Ten City Guide to Antwerp

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Hi
everybody. I’ll be your guide for the evening. I am born, raised, and am a
current citizen of Antwerp (a city of fashion, diamonds, chocolate and fries).
Antwerp’s got a street art history. It dates back 10 years with artists such as
Spaghettiman and Nikske Fluo. Other people such as href="http://www.dennistyfus.tk">Tyfusch, href="http://www.apetown.org">Apetown and Prutpuss became involved in the
scene in the middle nineties. They became the most well known sticker artists in
Antwerp during that period. Lots of Dutch and French people had previously
visited and invaded our city with their stencils and tags. In ‘99 the Antwerp
street art scene got a lot of media attention, primarily because of an overdose
of stickers. The result was lots of cleaning.

What can I say? Should
I tell you about the Kammenstraat, a so-called “hip” street with overprised
streetwear clothing and trendy rich children running around like crazy? Maybe
not. That is, except for a record store called ‘Stereophonic’. The store
features a painted wall by Tyfusch and has a great taste for experimental
music.

For cans and mags you say? You go to href="http://www.mekanik-strip.be">Mekanik Strip, the biggest comic shop in
Belgium, located at Sint Jacobsmarkt 73. You can also buy href="http://www.rotkop.com">Rotkop magazine there, the Antwerp based art
zine.

Also for magazines, some cool clothes, and toys you should go
to Shutzmarket at the Zakstraat 1. They
also had some great expos in the past (Krsn, Zedz, Heavyweight, Flying
Fortress…)

The only real skateboard shop in town is href="http://www.ephameron.com">Lockwood, at the Lange Klarenstraat 21,
where my girl Ephameron works.

For food you must go and try the
sandwiches at Lombardia. They’re way too expensive but very good. It is situated
at the Lombardenvest 78.

Art books can be found at the
Nationalestraat 28a in an arty farty bookshop called Copyright. It’s next to the
fashion museum. It’s really worth the walk.

When you need to get
something printed, it’s best to go to Printshop, Vleminckstraat 13.

/>There’s a legal graffiti spot, the Muntplein near the river. Sometimes there’s
stuff worth checking out. Watch out for dog poo, though.

The Museum
for contemporary art, MUHKA, is also around there, but a bit down the river in a
trendy neighbourhood called “‘t Zuid”. There are some nice galleries, museums,
bars and clubs located there. Leuvenstraat 32.

A nice old bars is
called “De Billenkletser” at the Hoogstraat 22. It has the coolest toilet-
occupied-sign-construction ever. If you want to know what that means, you must
certainly go there sometime. (Over 100 kinds of beer!)

For further
questions or anything else, you can always contact me at mackplakt@hotmail.com

Greets,

/>Mackplakt