Going back in time: Daniel Gould’s 3D List, Art in Amsterdam #11

There is good news and there is bad news. Let's get the bad out of the way first. About two or more years from now the gallery holders will be telling us that the bottom of the recession was the winter of 2009/2010.

3D has come to that conclusion for several reasons. The truly active galleries of this city generally have ten shows per year. They mix a few new and young artists in with those that have been successful selling artists over the years. Those same galleries are now having only six, seven or eight shows through 2009/2010; and a few of those are group shows. Other galleries have approached the economic slowdown by cutting back even more. Two or three shows for the season or becoming inactive. Fewer shows mean eliminating the cost of invitations, which includes the layout work, the mailing cost and the general cost of promotion including the opening party. Can't blame them. Rent comes first...and they gotta eat! 

So, what's the good news. Good art still sells! 3D reported last week eight red dots at a show that had been opened for less than ten days. This week's "What You Missed Last Week" section mentions two galleries that while there were not a lot of red dots, there were enough to make note of the fact. And as I keep saying, only YOU can prevent the total collapse of the art market. There are several indications that the economy has made a turn for the better. Help build the momentum and buy! Buy!! BUY!!! Hey, that means YOU! 

INDEX:

Bits & Pieces:
What You Missed Last Week:
What Is Happening This Week: 

BITS & PIECES: 

Lovers' Day is approaching. Sunday is Valentine's Day and the New York Times has an article titled "A Viagra Alternative to Serve by Candlelight," by Sarah Kershaw. It's all about aphrodisiacs. A restaurant, in Manhattan, offers a Black Forest dessert: a chocolate pistachio brownie with chocolate meringue sticks, créme fraiche ice cream, cherry gel and sweet cherries. Hmmm, sounds yummy..."But, beware! One study found that the scent of cherries significantly decreases sexual arousal in women." 

The article discusses various spices, herbs and foods that supposedly increase sexual desire, but Dr. Ruth, the American TV psychologist, says, "the most important sex organ lies between the ears." Well, okay, but there is always booze. Maybe. The man with all the words, Willy Shakespeare, had something to say on the subject---like he had something to say on nearly ALL subjects---in Macbeth: "Alcohol provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance." Hey, anyone got one of those little blue pills? https://nyti.ms/1KHXXtg 
***
Pigs have become a fashionable item in England. Even the Beckman's have TWO. But they are not the ordinary porkers that rut in the mud. No, no, no! These swine go for 1,000 pounds; not their weight, but what they cost in merry ol' England's monetary unit. Called "micro pigs" they grow to weighing no more than 30 kilograms and are sold a pets. And why not? Winston Churchill had something to say about the fatty oinkers: "Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you. Give me a pig! He just looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal." To which 3D says, "Pass the bacon." 
*** 
The DutchNews is conducting a poll concerning the "cannabis" issue that is now a subject before the Dutch parliament. So far here are the results: "Those who say, "No, ALL drugs should be illegal: 9.5%; Those who say, "Yes, soft drugs are harmless: 16.9%"; Those who maintain, "No, current semi-legal situation is fine: 17.4%;" and those that feel, "Yes, legalization will allow for better control: 55.6%." And those who have NO opinion: .7%" That's less than one percent which in poll taking is a statistical anomaly. 
*** 
"Netherlands bans sex with animals...On Tuesday the Upper House finally backed a 2008 Lower House vote in favour of the ban 'indecent acts' with animals are now punishable with a 18-month prison sentence and pornography involving animals is explicitly outlawed." Against the ban was the conservative VVD and Christian Democrat parties. Ah, the conservatives you just got love 'em. www.expatica.com/nl/news
*** 
3D had two people call me last Thursday to complain that there was NOTHING up at Mediamatic BANK. On Friday, I double checked and I had received an invite and had recorded the correct date and time. Later, that day, I had an e-mail from another reader saying it had been canceled. No one tells 3D anything! Sorry if you were inconvenienced...But it wasn't me.
*** 
The times are getting tough. "RUGGED: The Magazine For The Last And The Few," has published their 19 issue and the last: "Okay, we got bad news for you, boys and girls. The very edition of your favourate gazette you're holding in your hands right now is also the last of its kind. It's true, print is threatened with extinction. And magazines for free are even more so...This is it. So, don't be so sad, take a deep breath, and enjoy the final edition of whatever-it-was." The current---and, again, last---issue includes an article titled, "Klaus Kinski; Demon or Saviour;" also a photo essay by Alexander Basile; and, get this, info about the "Bicycle Film Festival; Do It the Bicycle Way;" and we can't leave out, "Arty Farty Gallery; Sex Is Overrated." 3D says NO more. Wouldn't dare. 

The magazine itself was youth orientated and quirky. From time to time, 3D would quote from its pages. So, if only for that reason, it will be missed. In Amsterdam it was given out FREE at CARHARTT STORE (Hartenstrat 18). There are still FREE copies available...but hurry...the FREE ride is over.
***
FREE ADVERT: 3D visited a new venue for art and music last Sunday. It is located in the East at Atlantisplein which is directly off the Linnausstraat. The complex of buildings houses the "stadsdeel," the CBK, office and studio space. One building, on the square, has a cafe called "muzyQ" which offers a music and art program. The rest of this particular building is called "muzyQ Amsterdam" and is devoted to office/studio space for those involved in music. All those interested in music---both professionals and amateurs---are welcome. Also those who are on the business end: agents, bookers, PR, etc. There is space available at 225 euro/year/square meter (inclusive BTW, heat and electricity and Internet connection). In addition, each has a separate storage space available. The latter space has not been completely utilized and is being offered at "10 euro for one to seven days or 30 euro per month." The space size is 150x250x200 cms. More info: https://bit.ly/2Jy4pov 
*** 
While at "muzyQ" for the opening of Robert Pennekamp's exhibition there was a performance by "Shaheen" who is an Oriental Belly Dancer. She is available for parties, openings, weddings and wakes...wakes? Sure, her hip gyrations will even the wake up the dead...Kid you not! (See photo above.) More info: https://bit.ly/2LkAZz6; or e-mail: shaheen@buikdanslijn.nl 
*** 
For what it is worth: There are 153 golf courses in the Netherlands. There are 360,000 golfers who use them. And 60% of the golf curses are owned by a foundation or a trust. This from https://www.dutchnews.nl/ 
*** 

WHAT YOU MISSED LAST WEEK: 

Friday:

At Arti et Amicticitae (Rokin 112) there is a group show with an example of at least every style and technique. Well, almost every one. You will see an excellent representation of avant garde photography by Maurice Schelten and Gesine Hackenberg. "Meubels van de Molen" shows two pieces of what 3D describes as contemporary Amsterdam School style of furniture. There is a "piezo" print, in b/w, that mesures 160x380 cms., with an abstract geometric design, by Lou Robbé. Jocobie de Rooij has drawn very large pastels that measure 150x238 cms.

In the other large gallery there is an unusual exhibition. However, 3D has NO idea what it is all about. Even the name tags seemed to confuse the issue. There is a huge wall drawing that you might expect to find on the wall of a building done by a disgruntled artist or would-be artist that is flanked by 19th century prints and plaster heads from the same period. How it all goes together 3D has no idea. The lone person, at the desk, was busy with a crowd of people and not available to interview. The solution? Go and see for yourself and write your own review. 
*** 
Saturday: 

You never know 'til you GO! Can't say it enough times. "MOTEL7" is a South African female street/graffiti artist. It has become necessary in recent years to distinguish between "street" and "graffiti." The latter, generally refers to the "tags" that the practitioners display on any surface they find available. "Street" is concerned with those artist that use public surface areas to compose "compositions." Some of these are elaborate while other can be a very simple "happy face." MOTEL7 does both and qualifies for yet another term being used to describe this new genré of art: Low Brow Art. 

3D went to the opening expecting to see, well, graffiti and was surprised to see that that was NOT what MOTEL7 is all about. Sure, there is an example of graffiti typography, but only one. The rest of the work looked to be a perfect selection to illustrate a contemporary version of an edition for The Brother Grimm's Fairy Tales. The subject matter is focused on a young girl with enormous eyes which are contrasted with a button nose and a small puckered mouth. She repeats the same facial image over and over in each painting, however, in each, she is wearing a different dress---or more properly said---a costume. Also there is, in the background, imagery that changes. It is the later aspect that makes her work both interesting and thought provoking. We see symbolic representations. Some are benign or cute---like clouds with happy faces---mushrooms capped with snow; a baby buggy; a gingerbread house; to the sinister, a spider's web, a skull, or a tombstone with "R.I.P." chiseled on it. More often than not several of these elements are included in one piece. In other words, each painting appears to have its own story to tell. And hanging from the ceiling are white and fluffy clouds with eyes. To quote from the press release: "Her aim is to make people laugh, or even just smile, which she accomplishes by merging the good and the evil, the pretty and the ugly." This 22 year old artist expresses the soul of the innocent existing in the world of reality. Finally, the show's title, ""Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines," comes from the poet Dylan Thomas which she says "...catches what she is trying to convey in her art." (40x20 cms., on paper @ 800 euro; 30x30 cms., acrylic @ 800 euro; 70x50 cms., acrylic @ 1,700 euro.) Until 5th March. https://bit.ly/2zLE86v
*** 
Michael Ryan is back at "BORZO modern & contemporary art" (Keizersgracht 516). 3D said last week to expect flower paintings---but not the run-of-the-mill variety. And indeed there was a nice selection...but, so much more. Ryan sees the world differently from the rest of us. Hanging in this show are "portraits," landscapes and compositions that don't really fits into any one category. What you see isn't always what you get; or to say it another way, what you get isn't always what you see. Confused? Good! What Ryan does so well is to reinterpret colors that we generally associate with certain subject matter. A good example is "Franco-American." A man and a woman, with an expressionistic Eiffel Tower, in the background. The male part of the duo is in several shades of red and no other color; and above all it is a perfect composition. 

"Study View with Gathering Storm" could be a contemporary version of one of Piet Mondrian's paintings from his luminosity/naturalistic period of a group of trees. Now, back to the flowers. Well, he does them differently. He is more concerned with the colors than with the true definition of the petals and stems. In other words, the essence of flowers in the way they project themselves. And he uses several approaches to define his compositions. There is a flavor to his work that also pays homage to the painter Milton Avery. (50x40 cms., oil @ 3,950 euro; 60x50 cms., oil @ 4,500; 110x135 cms.,oil @ 9,800 euro; 200x270 cms., oil @ 19,000 euro.) Four red dots and one green dot at opening. Until 27th February. https://bit.ly/2maQxaC 
*** 
Steendrukkerij Amsterdam (Lauriergracht 80) is hanging the work of Sidi El Karchi under the title, "The Nomad." This work pays homage to the Pop School and especially of its members Rosenquist and Motherwell. He makes simple line drawings that are not that far removed from comic strip like drawings. His paintings don't add that much detail to the drawings, but even in there simplicity they are efffective. There is even one of Michael Jackson which gives credence to his being a member of the "contemporary" Pop School. (40x60 cms., drawing, pencil @ 1,545 euro; 150x300 cms., oil/acrylic @ 10,825 euro.) Three red dots and one green dot at the opening. Until 19th March. https://bit.ly/2uHWeAJ 
*** 

Sunday: 

Robert Pennekamp is showing his work at "muzyQ" (Atlantipleiin 1). There are several very large canvases on exhibition; and there are two styles. In the one, he pays homage to the early COBRA school by emulating both the forms and colors of that period. The other style is more expressionistic and the colors tend to be several shades of pink, red and purple; sometimes all mixed together in one composition. Two of his plaster sculptures are basically conceptual figurative works which are loaded with symbolism. The other is just plain conceptual and all in white. (50x60 cms., @ 600 euro; 120x100 cms., @ 1,800 euro; 160x140 cms., @ 3,000 euro; sculpture, plaster 30x30x125 cms., @ 1,200 euro.) Until 7th April. http://www.robertpennekamp.nl/ 

WHAT IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK: 

FRIDAY: 12th February, 2010
FRIDAY: 12th February, 2010 

16-19:00 PUNT WG (M. van Bouwdijk Bastaansestraat 15). "Lady of Green Ginger," Ro Hagers. https://puntwg.nl/ 

17-19:00 Galerie Paul Andriesse (Withoedenveem 8, Detroit Building). "25 or 30 Years Gallery: papier, paper, papel, carta." Whatever the language this is an exhibition of 24 international artists working on paper that have had exhibitions at the gallery including Farrah Fawcett. Farrah Fawcett? The Charlie's Angel? 3D don't know, but the spelling on the invite is the same. http://www.paulandriesse.nl/ 

17-19:00 AYACS (Keizersgracht 166). Johanna Gloge and Vincent Schulz, "met huid en haar," two German artists working in oil.  

17-19:00 Lux Photo Gallery (Postjeweg 1). <pan"size="3">[sic], "Photoworks from the former USSR," a solo exhibition by Nick Hannes. http://www.luxphotogallery.com/ 

17-19:00 "witzenhausen GALLERY" (Hazenstraat 60). "the message from the sea," [sic] by Sanghee Song (Korea). https://bit.ly/2zCqZwM 

18:00 De Appel (N.B. @ 1e Jacob van Campenstraat 59). "for the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn't there." [sic] A group show of 22+ international artists. This is also the "inauguration of 'de Appel's Boy's School.'" Whatever that is. https://bit.ly/2LptlAh 

20:30 NIMk (Keizersgracht 264). "A night of new work by M.F.A. (Masters of Fine Art) students of the Sandberg Institute. 12 international artists. Entry 3.50 euro. https://bit.ly/2m4s9Hy 

SATURDAY: 13th February
SATURDAY: 13th February 

16-18:00 Galerie De Witte Voet (Kerkstraat 135). Ad Swinkels, "tekens aan de wand," ceramics. https://bit.ly/2NSLxnD 

16:00 Galerie Mokum (OZ Voorburgwal 334). Hans Deuss, realistic. http://www.galeriemokum.com/ 

16-18:00 Eduard Planting Fine Art Photography (1e Bloemdwarsstraat 2). "Tete-á-tete," with Lisa Holder and Jefferson Hayman, photography. https://bit.ly/2mt7Js6 

16:00 Galerie De Stoker (Witte de Withstraat 124). Hans Gritter, "Mensin Landscap," representational drawings. https://bit.ly/2Niwzqa 

16:00 Galerie R. Katwijk (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 198). Kathelen Kucka (USA), "Fluidty." https://bit.ly/2NhsOAX 

17-19:00 Cokkie Snoei - Amsterdam (Hazenstraat 11). "Verwoest Huis," by Marjan Teeuwen, photos from Russia, 3D thinks. http://www.cokkiesnoei.com/

SUNDAY: 14th February
SUNDAY: 14th February 

16-18:00 ABC Treehouse (Voetboogstraat 11). A solo show for Harald Seiwert. He works digitally challenging what "at one time was the conceit that computer art' wasn't art at all." According to Stewart Herdman, Adonis Art Gallery, London, "His imagination brims with bright ideas many pulsating photographs with photos he creates startling and challenging images that are sometimes witty, sometimes provocative and sometimes downright outrageous." Plus, "Join with us on Valentine's Day, while we celebrate our love for art, music, lively discussion - and all things bookish." Gosh...And all at ONE place! https://bit.ly/2Jp6HX6 

16:00 Mediamatic BANK (Vizelstraat 68). "Bardot Proviant Klub Update: Greenland is no longer cold, it's cool." Damn, that greenhouse effect! But, I digress...Presenting Najannguaq Svaed, "one of the emerging generation of fashion designers originating from Greenland...Najannguaq has created a performance presentation in collaboration with fellow Greenlandic visual artists Bolatta Silis-Hoeegh and 'DJ copy fokking' from Copenhagen. FREE, at least there was no entry fee listed on the invite. www.mediamatic.net/page/135662/en 

TUESDAY: 16th February
TUESDAY: 16th February 

20:30 W139 (Warmoesstraat 139). Every Tuesday, until the 24th of March, there will be a FREE movie shown at W139. This week's selection is: "When We Were Kings," a documentary, made in 1996, about the fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Foreman, in 1974, in Nigeria. https://bit.ly/2JitdRx 

WEDNESDAY: 17th February
WEDNESDAY: 17th February

17-20:00 Stadsdeel Amsterdam-Noord (Johan van Hasseltweg 2a). Marlijn Franken, Inger Kolff, Tonie van Marle and Monica van Rijn in "over grenzen." 

20:30 STEIM (Utrechtsdwarsstraat 134). "STEIM Hotpot Lab #2: Handmade Music Amsterdam." Hosted by Peter Kim "from www.createdigitalmusic.com and an array of local instrument builders/hackers/designers and tinkerers." FREE. www.steim.nl, www.steim.org/steimblog 
*** 
A nicely balanced schedule for this weekend. No reason for you to miss anything...And every good reason for you to GO! 3D promises you that you WILL see something that will get your attention and, hopefully, something that will force you to open your wallet or purse. Hey, you gotta do IT! Save the art world and you save the society. And, remember, you heard it HERE...on the 3D List.

Photos: 1) 3D says, "I give up...Some things you just can't put into words." 
At Willem Kerseboom Gallery for MOTEL7’s exhibition, Photograph by John Melskens, 2) 3D finds true love...an object of affection...Or something like that. The object, by Robert Pennekamp as seen at "muzyQ." Photograph by John Melskens, 3) On List #20, 3D had his angels...This week it's a temptress. "Hey, man, I get around!", Pictured with 3D is the Belly Dancer "Shaheen" who performed at an opening for Robert Pennekamp, Photograph by: John Melskens  

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