His name is Jan Is De Man and his works reproduce beautifully detailed, giant bookcases. Their purpose? To promote diversity.

One of his most famous works is located on the corner of Amsterdamsestraatweg and Mimosastraat, in Utrecht (Netherlands): a gigantic set of book shelves painted on the side of anonymous building. The tenants themselves granted him carte blanche as long as the work benefited the neighborhood.

Initially, Jan wanted to paint a smiley face on this three-story building, but then he changed his mind and opted for a huge library populated by his and the tenants’ favorite texts. Among them are books by Antoine de Saint – Euxpery, Khaled Hosseini, Roald Dalh, and other authors of different origins, so as to demonstrate the importance of multiculturality. This is just one of many giant bookcases that he has painted around the city of Utrecht since then, each with its own book collection.