Niels Shoe Meulman is a visual artist, graffiti writer, graphic designer and art director, born and raised in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
He ran his own design company, Caulfield & Tensing (1992–1999), with Michael Schaeffer, enabled by start up funds from Internet entrepreneur Walter de Brouwer.
Commercial works of note include a signature shoe (sneaker) design for the British sports brand Umbro, the creative direction of the magazine WAVE, the re-styling of the Dutch television channel TMF, and packaging calligraphy for Bols Genever.
John Langdon, the ambigram artist who wrote the preface, is quoted in the book about the first time he met Shoe and saw his work: 'You are as good as me.
Pairings range from love / money to strict / loose to rural / urban – all bearing additional dimensions of visual irony and depth ...
The illustrative nature of Meulman's words makes their apprehension feel less like reading than hearing: understood so quickly that they are impossible to ignore or shut out.
Beyond the cacophony is a reserve of pent-up energy, an abhorrence of complacency, and a crisp exploration of contrast mediated by masterful craft.”[8] In 2015 Meulman decided to emancipate the art form of Calligraffiti.
In a statement released by Galerie Gabriel Rolt, the artist stated: “There are people all over the world who write/paint in a similar way, and so the art form can now flourish without me.
[citation needed] In 1986 the Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad run a full-page interview with Meulman with the headline “Ik ben een vandaal.” (I am a vandal).
I am a painter who uses the skills of type design, lettering and calligraphy.”[10] In 2015 Galerie Gabriel Rolt presents the group exhibition Abstract Vandalism, curated by Meulman and with new works by Egs, Nug and Shoe.