Frankey Blows Up the Streetscape with ‘Hubbabubbabuilding’
Dutch street artist Frankey unveils Hubbabubbabuilding, a new bubblegum-inspired sculpture perched atop a roof on the Zandvoort promenade in the Netherlands. The site-specific installation features a 4-meter-tall caricature of Frankey himself, balanced on a ladder and blowing an enormous bubble of pink chewing gum that appears to burst out of the building’s windows. The piece debuts as part of Street Art Zandvoort 2025 and acts as a preview for Gumballin’ 2, the sequel to the artist’s 2020 solo show.
all images courtesy of Frankey
playful sculpture marks the start of Gumballin’ 2 exhibition
Hubbabubbabuilding reflects Frankey’s signature style of ‘positive interventions’—humorous, unexpected elements that momentarily reframe the built environment. Playful and cartoonish in form, the figure injects a dose of absurdity and childlike wonder into the seaside skyline. ‘Chewing gum is perhaps the weirdest product on earth,’ the Dutch artist explains. ‘It’s pointless, and maybe that’s the point. In its uselessness lies something real: wonder, play, fun.’
The installation not only nods to Frankey’s own likeness but also to the familiar act of bubble-blowing. Set against the backdrop of Zandvoort’s rooftops, the giant gum bubble reads as both joyful disruption and whimsical monument, prompting passersby to pause and look up. Hubbabubbabuilding also signals the official start of Gumballin’ 2, a forthcoming exhibition that continues the themes explored in Frankey’s earlier work at the Gashouder. While the first show positioned bubblegum as a playful material and metaphor, the upcoming sequel promises to delve deeper into its cultural and emotional resonances. The rooftop intervention os set to remain on view through September 6th, 2025.
the 4-meter-tall figure is a caricature of frankey himself, mid-bubble, balanced on a ladder high above the street
playful and absurd, Hubbabubbabuilding invites passersby to pause, smile, and look up
part street art, part self-portrait, and part ode to childhood wonder
the rooftop sculpture transforms bubble-blowing into public spectacle
‘chewing gum is pointless—and maybe that’s the point,’ says Frankey of the inspiration behind the piece
the artist rendered in cartoonish form, frozen in a playful act of bubble-blowing
project info:
name: Hubbabubbabuilding
artist: Frankey | @streetartfrankey
location: Zandvoort, the Netherlands
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