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.
UPDATE September 8th, 2025: The Amsterdam-based street artist has listed his Zandvoort villa, the Hubbabubbabuilding, for €10 million on Artsy.net as a work of art. The house, transformed into a playful sculpture of pink chewing gum bubbles spilling from its windows, comes with the condition that it cannot be altered or inhabited for the next five years. By doing so, Frankey positions the building as art rather than a home, following in the footsteps of projects like Rachel Whiteread’s House (1993) and Banksy’s Well-Hung Lover. The facade, featuring a four-meter-tall figure of the artist blowing a giant bubble, turns Boulevard Paulus Loot 103 into a whimsical scene. Proceeds from the sale will be reinvested in future public art projects.
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 Amsterdam-based street artist has listed his Zandvoort villa, the Hubbabubbabuilding, for €10 million
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