A French creative director in the global village of Amsterdam

I am a graphic designer and DJ from Buenos Aires, now living in Amsterdam. I run an independent design studio called Format Wars.

My works can be described as ‘post-graffiti art’. The approach, attitude and application of my designs are heavily influenced by graffiti and street art. I am fascinated by today’s zeitgeist but am also critical about it. Street art is an art movement in which many inspiring things are happening and where I feel at home. With a spray I can visually express what I cannot do with a pencil. However, I would like to go deeper than the sometimes superficial appearance of graffiti and street art and highlight those aspects that make the viewer think. I would like to express my thoughts visually, either in a clear statement or in an experiment with a still unknown outcome, which can lead to something new.

The work of Amsterdam based visual artist Martijn Sandberg, constantly explores border areas, such as the tension between text and image, legibility and illegibility, the private and the public domain. “I make Image Messages, image is message is image.” The image hides the message. In the cut paintings „Sorry No Image Yet‟ and „Too Busy To Paint‟ there is a subtle play between the language of the image and the significance of the image, and this gives rise to questions. Here, the lack of image seems to be elevated to an image by the artist. The direct relationship between the image, the material bearing the image and the environment is also expressed in his site-specific works in public space and architecture. As in „If These Walls Could Speak‟ that can be viewed in the lifts at the OBA Public Library Amsterdam, and the artwork „I Will Survive' located at the border of a burial ground in Hardenberg, The Netherlands. In 2010 „My Last Penny‟ by Martijn Sandberg is released as jaarpenning/ art medal 2010, issued by the Vereniging voor Penningkunst/ Dutch Art Medal Society in a multiple edition of 450 pieces.

Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen is a partner at Halal and head of the documentary film department, Halal Docs. Halal is an established Amsterdam based film production company & photography agency with a big creative team, connected to people and networks all across the world