Art route Hoogvliet

After study trips to London and Paris, Van Stuivenberg began to sculpt more and more abstractly. This can be seen in this statue of white marble that is partly polished and partly chiseled, with a dark base for extra contrast. It depicts the love between mother and child, but local residents did not see that warmth that way and nicknamed it 'the ice lump'.

This statue commemorates a group of friends who traveled thousands of kilometers on a scooter in Europe and the US in more than thirty years, raising 1,2 million euros for charities. When they hung up their scooters, this monument was designed by 16-year-old Zina de Geus and executed by students of the Albeda College on the RDM Campus. Three hundred people came to the unveiling and Lee Towers sang 'You'll never step alone'.

Sometimes little is known about outdoor art. The Basque 'Gora' and Spanish 'Viva' mean 'go' and it is unknown who exactly needed that encouragement in 1979, when this statue was purchased for the first anniversary of a care home. When the building was demolished, the statue was replaced.

During the urban embellishment of the 1960s, the GGD bought this bronze sculpture from the consultation office, where parents visited with their babies. But then the building became a sub-municipal office and a new meaning was sought for this image: 'The upliftment of the people by mother government' or 'The youth has the future'. Which of the two meanings it has become is not known.

A cat, a fish, a snake and a cow whose horns turn into a bird, form a mythical whole that is reminiscent of prehistoric times. You could easily forget that origin at the time in the industrial Pernis, where this facade plastic adorned a rubber factory. In 2013, this cubist-inspired polder picasso was relocated to Hoogvliet, where residents consider the title a bit long and prefer to call it 'de Krolse Kater'.

According to the title, this multiform organism is growing. In 1971 this suited the developing Hoogvliet and the growing children, who were allowed to climb on this statue by the artist. They gave the abstract form their own interpretations and called it 'Clim-up', 'Double Rhinoceros', 'Failed Dino' or 'Giant Hedgehog'. The striking plinth is by architect Jan Hoogstad.

This sculpture has a strict geometric appearance and the art assignment sounded strict: the sculpture had to be low-maintenance, could not invite climbing and falling and had to stand out so that people can easily find the police station. The artist allowed the block forms of the building to return in this environmental artwork and tilted it. Yet it is just as solid as his other source of inspiration; the harbor cranes from the Hoogvliet area.

Calder became world famous with his 'mobiles', fragile compositions of iron wire moving in the wind. He also made 'stabiles' from intersecting metal plates, which is very handy for use in public spaces. With its heavy legs and curved head, an anteater can be recognized in this globally unique 'stable', which has often been loaned to museums.

The milkmaid, blacksmith and farmer in these facing bricks symbolize professions from livestock farming, industry and agriculture. They were just as important for the reconstruction as the slogan 'stronger through struggle' in the city coat of arms on the other side of the building. For these typically Dutch professions, the sculptor drew his inspiration far afield: he copied the faces in profile from ancient Egypt, and we know the poses with a standing and playing leg from classical sculptures.

These stainless steel poles were given bright red accents to stand out and because this matched the fire station behind it at the time. After completion, they turned out to evoke unintended associations with the sliding poles used by the fire brigade in England, but the artist was mainly looking for the simplicity of minimal art: less is more.

In 2002, the surroundings of the Venkelsingel were redesigned and Hoogvliet wanted to offer the local residents a place to stay. This is made of ordinary neutral building elements, to fish and 'let time pass', according to the artists. So this artwork is designed for lounging, chatting and watching a float in the water.

Quite unexpectedly, a prehistoric hunting scene is going on here in this residential area. The horned animal on the left also feels somewhat ambushed, namely by the archer on the right. This ceramic cave painting was made by the well-known artist Jan Schoonhoven. It is nothing like his white geometric reliefs that hang in museums.

Sculptor Pieters made sculptures that resemble nothing else; sculptures with feet and circles and discs, on islands or legs, totally idiosyncratic constructions. Why an island? The answer is deliberately not given and so this image remains a mystery, which is further reinforced by how the stainless steel has been polished to an unapproachable shiny result.

Rotterdam has few statues for dignitaries. Rather, it honors ordinary people who do special things, such as Cors Bloot, who devoted herself to care for the elderly and social housing in Hoogvliet. The cottage is an appropriate form and provides shelter, but also serves to remind us of the need to give space to desires. Those four chairs are part of the artwork.

'Sculpture builder' Romijn found the post-war reconstruction far too gray and boring and therefore started building organic sculptures, such as this sculpture, in response. It looks like a Fred Flintstone house or an architectural dream world, as open as possible because spaces need to be welcoming. The statue seems to have grown here, as it rises with its legs from the Ruigeplaatbos.

Would this be the most colorful work of art that exists in public space? This picturesque frieze, mounted on 136 enameled steel plates, has been said to contain 136 colours, but find out. This sensual world of paint smears is based on plant and animal motifs and is funded by the government's percentage scheme for art in construction contracts. This also applied to the Zuid-Holland Electricity Company (EZH), to which this transformer building, designed by Wim Quist, belonged at the time.