De Nieuwe arts magazine Arti et Amicitiae issue 35

De Nieuwe, issue nr 35, 2016
by Karin Bos

article in De Nieuwe, arts magazine Arti et Amicitiae, written by Karin Bos

Tribeca Arts Channel New York Our Women in Amsterdam 1 by Karin Bos

Published by TriBeCa arts channel New York, 2007

'Our woman in Amsterdam' 1, by Karin Bos

Wilde Life in Dalfsen

In 2007 en 2008 Karin Bos wrote several articles for the New York based TriBeCa arts channel as 'Our woman in Amsterdam'.

Bohemian Aesthetic LA Amsterdam Dispatch 4 by Karin Bos

coffee, cake and sauerkraut (a weekend of art in amsterdam) 

commentary and image by Karin Bos

published 23 january 2009 Bohemian Aesthetic e-zine, Los Angeles

amsterdam dispatch | volume 1 • number 4   

The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam's main institute for modern art, has been closed for renovation for quite some time now. In an attempt not to entirely water down its significance, it opened a temporary space—SMCS—now closed, too. So, nowadays, the The Stedelijk collection is homeless, stored in an undisclosed location, and the construction site at Museum Square doesn't look as if it will be ready anytime soon. Now and then, parts of the collection pop up in various places around town. Presently, the Van Gogh Museum is hosting a show of French fauvists and German expressionists.

Also, to touch base with the public, the Stedelijk invented the 'Bouwkeet'. It's a small container based on those in which construction site workers have lunch or that are commonly used for storage. The Bouwkeet is traveling through town until the re-opening of the Stedelijk Museum in what looks to be 2010. Its current location is the riverside in Amsterdam North. It's so small that no actual art works can be displayed there, and only 15 people can fit inside. It merely functions as a coffee corner and info desk, as opposed to an alternative exhibition space.

Recently, after having a coffee at the Bouwkeet, I went to the other riverbank to attend the two day group show 'Route 88' at Dek West/De Bonte Zwaan, an exhibition space and artists studio located in a former sailing company building that floats in Amsterdam's river IJ. 

The 11 participating artists of "Route 88" all graduated in 1988 from the Amsterdam Academy of Fine Art's Department of Painting, Drawing and Printing. They kept in touch for 20 years and celebrated this with an anniversary show. Next to the cake, paintings, drawings, and prints, the exhibit also contained jewellery, varied objects, and photography. The artists only showed their current work, so it wasn't possible to compare it to their graduation pieces and assess the development in their work.

Noor van der Brugge presented several artists' books, among which I discovered the linoleum cut and letterpress 'They all of them know', based on a poem by Charles Bukowski. I always admire artists who have the patience to print books by hand, page by page. 'They all of them know' is an edition comprised of nine copies; that's do-able. 

But I also know of a book, by Dutch artist Helga Kos, that was worked on for five years! That time-consuming project began with a simple commission to create a CD cover. 'Ode aan de Kolossale Zon' is based on 'Last Poems of Wallace Stevens' and contains, beside the CD artwork, 150 hand-printed pages made from several printing techniques in an edition of 288 copies. I visited Kos while she was working on it in the printing studio at Rijksacademie, and she looked like a monk…an anachronism in this 21st century art world with all of its newfangled media. The students at Rijksacademie even called her 'the dinosaur', she informed me.

Another show I visited the same weekend of 'Route 88' was 'Salon Fantastique', a one-day affair at Just van der Loos' studio. Van der Loos displayed his installations alongside ceramic sculptures by Gerrit-Jan van Ham.

The theme of this campy party/show was 'German style'. Both artists were dressed in lederhosen, and the music, food, drinks, invitation card, everything was…you guessed it…in German style. "Rauchen erlaubt" (smoking allowed), read the card, typical of van Ham's humor, also quite evident in his art. His ceramic figures of over-the-top divas, bodybuilders, drunks, and gossiping sisters, all grouped in a dollhouse, are whimsical and smile-inducing, simultaneously wrapped up in recognition and compassion. No cynicism—just, in his own (German) words, "Super! Spitze! Toll!"

Sisters by Gerrit Jan van Ham

 

 

Bohemian Aesthetic LA Amsterdam Dispatch 3 by Karin Bos

sunburn and fortis

commentary and image by Karin Bos

published 15 september 2008 Bohemian Aesthetic e-zine, Los Angeles

amsterdam dispatch | volume 1 • number 3

 

Summer in Amsterdam mainly means a lot of rain; but, every now and then, there's a hot, sunny day. This causes huge traffic jams from Amsterdam towards Zandvoort, the town with the nearest beach—a beach is so crowded that one can barely make out the North sea. Art lovers, however, are smarter; they take the bus to IJmuiden, a bit further away, where the beach is almost empty and where they never forget to stop in at RC de Ruimte. Every summer, that exhibition space organizes a huge contemporary art show entitled "Quantum Vis". There's plenty to see there. In fact, this year's show features 88 artists. I'm amazed at the exhibit's balance—so many artists (and so diverse!) who brought large works, yet it feels anything but claustrophobic.

The masterminds behind this are Joop Stoop, visual artist, and his wife, Lieke Wagemaker, who started RC de Ruimte in 2004. The building formerly housed a church and the tower, these days, is decorated with Duchampian toilet pots. Not everybody in tiny IJmuiden was amused when they noticed Stoops art, back then.

By building an extensive network, RC de Ruimte has succeeded in attracting many interesting artists to participate in group shows. Through their "multi-media dinner" evenings, when big man Stoop cooks a big meal larded with live video-drawing, live music, or artists lectures, the audience as well as the participating artists are able to see the show, meet each other, and dine—all at the same time. This has proven to be a fruitful mixture for the non-profit space.

As a participating artist in QuantumVis #4, I attended the opening party on June 28, where so many artists were present that half of the street was blocked by all the tables with food outside. Next to good company and good food, I also saw some pretty good art that evening.

One of my favorite pieces in the show is a ceramic sculpture by Bastienne Kramer ("Baarn 1961"). The glazed figure reminds me of the deformed embryos I've seen at the anatomic Museum Vrolik, here in Amsterdam—especially the figure's head with its too small face. The sculpture is a little smaller than life-size, which enhances the sympathy it evokes. Poor unfortunate, weird creature… symmetrical, as if two halves are stuck together to make one person. Symmetry is a symbol of beauty, but here something went wrong. The twin parts aren't merged to meet their perfect soul mate or better half. The result is an alien guarding the exhibition.

For people with a strong stomach, the Vrolik Museum is an interesting visit. I spent a couple of days there sketching "Siamese Twins", unborn mermaids and other highly intriguing anatomical specimens put into spirits. 

After a while, though, I started to see them in my dreams and decided that I should leave it to the scientists. My ‘pathological anatomical' project is officially finished. For those who want to visit the museum anyway: It's located in the Academic Medical Centre of Amsterdam, a hospital also famous for its contemporary art collection. Which is a plus; if you discover that the bone collection isn't what you'd hoped for, the artwork just might make up for it.

Siamese Twins by Karin Bos

Bohemian Aesthetic LA Amsterdam Dispatch 2 by Karin Bos

art amsterdam and its satellites

commentary and images by Karin Bos

published 31 may 2008  Bohemian Aesthetic e-zine, Los Angeles

 amsterdam dispatch | volume 1 • number 2

The latest global phenomenon has reached us: an explosion of satellite fairs during the week of the always much-anticipated Art Amsterdam.

It’s the 24th edition of Art Amsterdam (formerly known as Kunst-Rai). This year, there are 125 participating galleries, of which are 33 from abroad; so, as every year, despite its ambitions, Art Amsterdam is mainly a Dutch event. As a result, for me as a regular participant-slash-visitor, there are no surprises, no discoveries that blow me off my feet. Everybody knows everybody; therefore, it's more of a networking event than an inspiring quest for the unknown. I did, however, see some beautiful small paintings on wood by someone I didn’t know, yet: Martin McMurray, at the booth of Gallery Nouvelle Images from The Hague.

Next to Art Amsterdam there’s the Temporary Museum Amsterdam. It’s the third edition of an imaginary museum which creates a parallel program to that of Art Amsterdam, using the entire city as a floor plan. To visit this ‘museum’, one might need a bicycle to attend all 18 participating art institutes; but, at the end of the day, exhausted visitors may crash at the Mediamatic Sleep Inn performance, and spend the night, for free(!), on a stretcher.

One novelty is Satellite Station, an offshoot fair at W139 Basement, where seven blue-chip galleries present large scale installations. While at Art Amsterdam most booths are stuffed with far too many artworks that could fit in the trunk of one's car, for business reasons, at Satellite Station, the galleries present only non-sellable pieces. It's a welcome addition; and, hopefully, there will be another edition next year.

Last but not least, there’s the Kunstvlaai. It’s the seventh edition of this alternative art fair, which looks more like a carnival or festival. On the premises of the Westergas factory, 75 non-commercial artists initiatives and 15 MFA schools present non-established art. Unfortunately, most artists there decided that the main quality of art is that it has to make noise and move. In such cacophony, it's difficult to find high quality art, and most participating artists are too young to have developed a unique style.

Looking at the paintings, one can easily tell which famous artists are in vogue at the Dutch art schools. (The Belgian artist Luc Tuymans is, apparently, still hip.) But, none of the visitors do seem to mind that, the Kunstvlaai is just a very lively and well-attended party where all enjoy themselves, surrounded by art, drinking beer in the sun.

Kunstvlaai Amsterdam 2008

Bohemian Aesthetic LA Amsterdam Dispatch 1 by Karin Bos

moving targets and sitting ducks

commentary by Karin Bos

published 21 february 2008 Bohemian Aesthetic e-zine, Los Angeles

amsterdam dispatch | volume 1 • number 1

Galleries come and go in Amsterdam. Last December was a month in which many of them went. The main problem, here, is the lack of an audience and, perhaps even more so, there aren't enough serious art collectors. The Dutch prefer earning money to spending it…or so they say. Despite the difficult conditions, however, there will always be people who open galleries in Amsterdam—enthusiastic optimists intent on preventing a decomposition of the cultural landscape. One thing that plays an important role in encouraging cultural diversity in this country is the non-profit artist space, which marches to the beat of its own drummer, far less worried about making money than galleries are.

These days, a lot of those spaces are opening up in neighbourhoods previously considered un-'hip'. They're mostly located in former office buildings or operated out of repair houses. It's part of a plan to upgrade those communities that are suffering poverty-related plights (i.e. high crime rates) by inviting artists to work there. The artists attract other enterprises and the area is revitalized. City Hall recently bought several prostitution houses in the red light district in order to turn them into affordable studios for young fashion designers. Also, real-estate developers invite artists to work in their empty office buildings as part of an anti-squat policy, but the downside of that story is that such arrangements are short-term. Contracts quickly expire and artists take leave when the time comes for property is to be developed into expensive accommodations or corporate structures. Artists, here, have become victims of their own successes and of the process of urban gentrification. Once deteriorated neighbourhoods undergo dramatic renovations, property value increases, and artists have no choice but to leave their self-created hot spots, now unaffordable to them. I’ve seen this pattern in cities around the world. More and more artists have become nomads.

The two-month-old Service Garage is such a temporary artists initiative, remotely located in a former car repair station. It's a huge space where artists' studios are combined with a public exhibition area. I recently visited it to attend several lectures, and was reminded that (apparently) we should suffer for our art, because there was no heating at all. It was 40º F outdoors; indoors, it felt pretty much the same.

Sometimes, though, I stumble across a story with a happy ending. Like this one:

A space that already has proven its significance for Amsterdam is OT301. The former film academy is built on expensive ground with a nice park view. It was squatted by artists collective EHBK in 1999 and, as a result, was saved from demolition. In 2006, a non-typical Dutch thing happened and left wing politicians royally angered their colleagues on the right by valuing creativity over financial gain. City council sold the building for a friendly price to the artists collective, so OT301 now enjoys the luxury of a secure future. The building hosts several artists' studios, two concert halls, a gallery, a vegan restaurant, a cinema, a bar, a screenprint studio, dance studios, and even a health space where doctors provide free consults for illegal immigrants without insurance. There's so much going on that it has become a popular destination—without losing its ideals. A meal at the restaurant still costs only 6 euros and, for the same amount of money, one can see four bands perform and dance all night in the music studios. Amsterdam took notice and, in 2006, the EHBK collective was nominated for "Amsterdammer of the Year". Last year, this underground-slash-alternative laboratory was recognized by the establishment and awarded the prestigious Amsterdam Award for the Arts, handed out by Job Cohen, our mayor.

The strength of artists-run spaces such as OT301, as compared to commercial galleries, is their flexibility and openness. For example, the OT301 Gallery is hosting Moving Targets, this month—a nomadic artists network which organizes exhibitions and arts events at different venues. At OT301, Moving Targets presents "Sitting Duck", a group show of 12 Dutch artists on nomadism, combined with several public events, including a public editorial meeting of an arts paper. As a participant, I was offered a preview of the promising exhibition and was especially intrigued by "Find Your North Star", a small and delicate porcelain piece made by Ingrid Pasmans. It measures only 10 x 20 cm and displays a simple oval with a hole. On the porcelain, a constellation is drawn with a black glaze pencil. I was struck by the fact that a modest shape and a few lines combined with a poetic and intelligent title result in such a strong symbol for the human quest for meaning.

Perhaps it's a comfort to those artists, who are forced to pack their bags, that only in abandoned and remote areas, in the dead of night, are the stars clearly visible. Only in those places is The North Star easily found.