Going back in time: Daniel Gould’s 3D List, Art in Amsterdam #19

Yes, this is Week #30 of the Amsterdam Art Season 2009-2010. What it means is that the season is now three-quarters over. There isn't that much time left. In fact, one gallery will have, at the end of April, their last opening of the 2009-2010 calendar year. Hey, time flies when your having fun. And that is the nicest factor in viewing art...it is fun! But it is also educational, entertaining, surprising, revealing, exhilarating and, and...where is my thesaurus when I need it? No matter. You get the idea. 

INDEX:

Bits& Pieces:

What You Missed Last Week:

What Is Happening This Week: 

BITS & PIECES: 

It happened in Holland..."Posters around town to announce the exhibit were torn or defaced. Leaflets left in distributors disappeared overnight. Angry letters and e-mail messages arrived at the museum denouncing the show." Where? Utrecht! the reason? An exhibit of 122 objects by artists from 27 countries with the theme "Lingam, for the Hindu cult object usually viewed in the West as a phallic symbol." Oh the horror, the horror! What got everyone so excited was the location of the show: "Catharijneconvent" a former convent and now the Museum of Christian Art. Read all about it in an article titled, "Risque art in the silence of the cloister," by John Tagliabue, in his "Letter from Europe: http://www.iht.com (6th April). 
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"In 1825, the French philosopher Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are." Javier Garcia, a Californian neuroscientist, is going one step further. For the last five years he has photographed everything he has eaten and posted the pictures on his web-site: https://bit.ly/2v4DYBS. "The nearly 9,000 photos leave nothing out, not even snacks as small as a simple single square of shredEdd wheat." And he is not alone. A Flickr group called "I ate these" "includes more than 300,000 photos that have been contributed by more than 19,000 members. There would be more, but members are limited to 50 photos a month." The most popular site is: https://nyti.ms/2OgJbzf. From an article titled "First Camera Then Fork," by Kate Murphy at: https://nyti.ms/1KHXXtg (6th April).
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"foam" has announced a "talent call." This is for their beautifully conceived magazine. See for details: https://bit.ly/2A8zq3d 
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...And, speaking of "foam magazine," here is a new term that 3D learned from a recent issue: Scopophilia. According to an editorial by Marloes Krijnen, the director of the "foam" museum, "It is not a term in common use. It literally means something akin to a passion for viewing. And viewing with pleasure is no where more appropriate than in the world of the visual arts." Hey, 3D suffers from "scopophiliaphobia." But, beware, it is contagious. However, it is also a user-friendly phobia. This week's introduction tries to explain why...
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...And more from "foam." Last week was the opening for Paul Graham. A brochure, titled "a shimmer of possibility," that was published for the show, is informative on many levels. Here is one example. There is a quotation from the latest novel by John Berger: "No need to evoke a hell in the afterlife. A hell for the excluded is being constructed in this one, announcing the same thing: that only wealth can make sense of being alive." And, as so many of the wealthy can attest to, having wealth can be its own hell. So, what is the message? Life on earth is hell? Hmmm. 
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"art antique" is a new art and antique fair. You can attended between 11-18th April at the "Jaarsbeurs" in Utrecht. http://www.fineartantiquesfair.nl/ 
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A call for proposals by NIMk, BALTAN Laboratories and Piksel. They want "interesting new software art projects that can be developed in the period June to November 2010 through shared residency." more info: https://bit.ly/2Ohbg9y 
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EYE Film Institute Netherland presents "Film Biennale, featuring unique film events at special venues throughout Amsterdam from 7th till the 11th. The program was created in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York." https://bit.ly/1aNTKW2 
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...And speaking of film...the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival kicks off with its 26th edition on the 14th of April and continues until the 24thof April. "Miraculous, frightening and surprising" is what they tell you to expect. More info: https://bit.ly/2GozCtO 
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The Club of Amsterdam has announced the topic for their next presentation: The Future of Music. The dialogue centers around these themes: Music and the Brain; Music and Creative Project - online and wireless; and Music in Games. April 29th. Tickets on-line at 30 euro (discounts available). More info: https://bit.ly/2nlASUj 
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Berlin

A call for applications has been made by "Berliner Liste 2010." "You can apply as a gallery, an artist or as a project." There will be a special section for photography. It will take place from 7th-10th October, 2010. It is a fair for contemporary art and photography since 1960. http://www.berliner-liste.org/app07 
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Big plans are under way for Arti et Amicitiae. "7 Evenings of Live Art." From the 20th to 29th of April. More info next week. https://www.arti.nl/ 
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On Wednesday, 7th April, there was a special event at Museum Jan van der Togt for the introduction of a new tulip variety which has been named after Anton Heyboer. Just thought you would like to know...
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WHAT YOU MISSED LAST WEEK: 

Thursday:

Maison Decartes (Vijzelgracht 2) is exhibiting works by Joseph Semah. As you enter the main gallery your attention is immediately captured by a wall with 72 mixed-media pieces. The ingredients include b/w drawings; cut-out cliches, string, transparent paper and sheet music from "The Death of Fugue" by Bach. All of these elements overlap each other in one composition making for a visual intrigue. Also in the same room is an object that consist of six "shelves" each one made from a thick glass plate cut in the form of a "T" and with a steel frame; each level is supported by wine glasses. In each glass there is paper or the ashes from burnt paper. 

Another object consists of five irregularly shaped steel cubes, about 50x50 cms., in an arrangement with a shower head projecting from the middle of the pile. An old chair hangs from a wall and on the seat of it there are several bronze mice laying atop each other. In the other gallery, there is an object that consists of two doors---supported on sawhorses---with an insertion of five canvases---one wrapped in cloth and with b/w linear patterns---between them. Much like a sandwich. And there is more; one piece with a neon sign included. Cool! Basically, 3D's description of this show is not very comprehensive since every piece is symbolic in one way or another as well as all together. Until ___?___. https://bit.ly/2NKw9J1 
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Paul Graham (UK) is at "foam" (Keizersgracht 609) with an exhibition titled "a shimmer of possibility." This is one case where purchasing the16 page brochure (one euro; in Dutch or English) is a very good idea. The imagery in his photographs is rather banal; not only the subject matter but more often than not the "posing" too. Of course, there is no "posing" per se. "Each sequence [of photographs] is a short, casual encounter where we consider for a moment something that attracts our attention. Then life goes on, full of new possibilities." As an example, we see a man with a power mower cutting the grass. There are a series of eight photos. the sizes vary and the change in size represents a certain emotional element that Graham feels for the imagery. 

Another series of photos captures an obese man compulsively smoking a cigarette. Graham conveys both a melancholy and loneliness in this simple but intensive addictive compulsion. Perhaps the most "artistic" of all the photos is a simple shot of a man (unseen except for his torso) holding a Styrofoam cup to his chest. Graham's technique is first rate with excellent light and good composition. 

But this show is really about a 12 volume set of books published under the same title. This is the origin of the hanging photos. Each book appears to be about twenty pages long but "there's nothing systematic about the series." One volume has 26 images and another only one. This short paragraph sums up what the series is all about: "Collectively, the shimmer books describe a chronicle of American experience circa 2004-2006, and the world presented, by and large, is a world of isolated figures, near-anonymous strangers moving past one another without much connection." Until 16th June. https://bit.ly/2Lavlwl 
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"The First Photographs of Amsterdam, 1845-1875" is the title of the new exhibition at the Amsterdam Stadsarchief (Vijzelstraat 32). There is nothing that is related to Amsterdam that 3D enjoys more than looking at old photographs of the city. They are always revealing for a variety of reasons. One is to see what the inner canals looked like without automobiles or even bikes. For the most part, the grand houses still stand where they did in 1850, but there are so much more grand without the litter of the modern age. Then there are the photos of buildings that no longer exist like the "Paleis voor Volksvlijt." This huge (as large or larger than the Rijksmuseum) is grandiose in its architectural splendor. It was located at the Frederiksplein; and you wonder why it isn't still there. But between the two positions is the fact that you marvel over how much has been preserved; and that fact is all the more remarkable when you consider that Amsterdam has been a commercial city since its inception as opposed to, say, Florence. 

Unfortunately, if you are not Dutch-literate you will not be able to have a full appreciation of the show since all the liner notes are only in Dutch. What is weird about this is that the ten page accordian folded brochure is in Dutch on one side and English on the other. It also promotes the book that accompanies the exhibition which was written by Anneke van Veen and that, too, is in both Dutch and English. So, here they are promoting a show with two languages and presenting it in only one. Go figure. Until 27th June. https://bit.ly/2LP4iXG. No web-site address on the 10 page brochure.
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Friday:

ARTTRA is showing the work of Julia Winter who is a Russian trained artist that has lived in Amsterdam for several years. As a result, her influences reflect the traditional art academy schooling of the USSR combined with the Dutch avant garde. The result is both provocative and visually stimulating. But what is her style? Technique? Does she do paintings? Objects? A combination of the two? Well, as to "painting," she "writes" on the surface of the canvas---or old wood---more than she "paints." And you find yourself looking closely at what she has "written" as if this would reveal more. Maybe it would, but it is not always readable and when it is...it is. The thickness of the acrylic paint is such that you know she "wrote" the words as she squeezed the paint from the receptacle. In other cases, it looks more like an illusion to the written word. No matter! For the most part the pieces are b/w. The contrast of that with the typography and other factors makes for a visual display that exerts both itself and its imagery from a distance. 

In some ways this show is an exercise in b/w...and red. One piece is black on red but two others are all red with several holes that have been drilled into the surface to form a grid pattern. In one piece, there is a nice touch, if not ironic. It is an all red work where the word "BLUE" appears almost subliminally below the red surface. Two wall hangings repeat the red-black theme. What we see is an old hymnal which has a black cover with the paper edges in red and tied together with dirty white string. Winter is a conceptualist who approaches her subject matter from several angles and directions...all of which get your attention. (Object, 10x15 cms., @ 250 euro; 180x150 acrylic @ 2,900 euro; the mean price range is 250 to 750 euro.) Until 6th May. http://www.arttra.nl/ 
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Saturday: 

Galerie Rademakers (Prinsengracht 570) hangs the paintings of Hans Bosman. The artist presents a collection of children' portraits, but with a twist. For the most part---and by the way they are dressed---they could have been posed sometime during the late 19th century. And how they are dressed is important because he uses this factor as his color statement whether it is only a black hat---with a gray/green star---or a bright red jacket or a cobalt military dress coat. There is also a vagueness to the imagery which diverts our attention from the portrait aspect of the composition. (50x60 cms., oil on linen @ 2,450 euro; 120x140 cms., oil on linen @ 6,900 euro; 140x160 cms., oil on linen @ 7,250 euro.) Until 25th April. https://bit.ly/2JvtSz2 
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Annette Ong is back at AdK (Prinsengracht 534) for yet another show. In this exhibition, she is not only hanging drawings/paintings but also clay sculpture pieces. At first glance, you might think she has an artistic split personality. He drws/pnts are very colorful taking in the full range of a color chart and the technique is reminiscent of the pointillist. On the other hand, the clay work is all in a matte black. But look closely at the drws/pnts and you see the relationship. Sometimes---and nearly lost in the composition---there are figures performing various tasks in a forest. This is true, too, of the clay work but the imagery is more obvious. Both styles are captivating and each in their own way. The best way to buy this work is to buy one of the drws/pnts and one of the sculptures; place them together. (32.5x23.5 cms., acrylic on wood @ 800 euro; 70x100 cms., acrylic and pencil on paper @ 1,200 euro; 20x20x38 fired clay @ 1,350 euro.) Until 2nd May. https://bit.ly/2LRt0qC 
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At "Galerie bart" (Bloemgracht 2) are Roos and Chris showing heads and torso sculpture work. There are three examples. One consists of three Chinese looking figures (they are wearing red t-shits embossed with a star). Each looks like the other making the piece a study in conceptual redundancy. This is also true of the other two examples as well. In those works, the figures look like twins. The color coordinates in the same manner, but there is a slight deviation in their facial expression. All the work is made with a polymer resin. (40x60x50 cms., two pieces @ 7,200 euro; 90x45x55 cms., three pieces @ 10,800 euro.) 

Also sharing the space and hanging from the walls is a series titled "Top of the World." That comes from the fact that these photographs were all taken in Moritz which geographical may not be the "top of the world" but financially there is probably no place else in the world, at such a high altitude, that attracts "the wealth of the world." In one of Christian Kryl's photos we see a collection of private jets parked against a mountain backdrop looking like a parking lot on the Costa de Sol with its Fiats. In another, there is a lady-of-a-certain-age wearing a scarlet "hat" with puffs of her "natural" hair sprouting from it. She has wrapped around her eyes large reflecting sunglasses which captures the background scenery that is taking place behind the camera man. It is both a vivid and dramatic photograph. (91x68 cms., C-print on Dibond, Ed. 8 @ 525 euro; 160x136 cms., C-print on Dibond Ed. 6 @ 2,200 euro.) Until 8th May. https://bit.ly/2m4yS4n 
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Sunday: 

Billy & Hells (one is female and other male; didn't ask who was who) is at Galerie Utrecht (Prinsengracht 572). Their show title is "Past and Present." This is portrait photography with an edge. The artists captures their subjects in natural poses with an anonymous background. Their dress ranges from the formal to a sailors attire to a nurse who could have served with Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War (c. 1850). In fact, the ladies as well as the men pictured often look as if they stepped from a 19th century novel and with the same sense of drama and the same sense of melancholy associated with a Zola or Dreiser tome. Oh, yeah, there is also a photo of a dog included in the show. Interestingly enough, this exhibition compliments the paintings next door at Galerie Radamakers. (70x50 cms., photo Dibond @ 2,100 euro; 150x100 cms., photo Dibond @ 4,100 euro.) Until ___?___. https://www.morrengalleries.nl/ 
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WHAT IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK: 

Reminder: When you encounter the (?) it is to alert you to the fact that the info could be WRONG. The "*" indicates that the times listed may not be accurate. Please check the gallery's web-site or phone ahead. This is your friendly weekly disclaimer brought to you FREE of charge. 

THURSDAY: 8th April, 2010
THURSDAY: 8th April, 2010

16:00 Amsterdam Historisch Museum (NZ Voorburgwal 357). Six artists from the "Beeldhouwerscollectief ABK." https://bit.ly/2slcN5K 

FRIDAY: 9th April
FRIDAY: 9th April

17:00 Chellerie (Raamgracht 58). A book presentation for"De Man en Zijn Lichaam," by Arie Boomsma and Stephan Sanders. They will also hang photos from the book. One day only. This is it! https://bit.ly/2uSHM9S 

17:00 Arti et Amicitiae (Rokin 112). Eight artists show. And if 3D understands a little of the Dutch all of the exhibitors are plus or minus 15 years old. The title, "De Kunstenaar en zijn (Imaginaire) collectie; Popel Coumou." https://bit.ly/2mKieYj  

20:00 Van Zijll Langhout Exposities (Brouwergracht 161). Tomoko Kawachi (Japan), paintings. https://bit.ly/2m7l7Sk 

20:00 Arti et Amicitiae (Rokin 112). Lydia Schouten, "Secret Garden." https://bit.ly/2mKieYj 

SATURDAY: 10th April
SATURDAY: 10th April

(?)14:00* Eduard Planting Fine Art Photographs (1e Bloemdwarsstraat 2). Photos by Diana Blok, Corrine Kruger, Marie Cécile Thijs and Peter van de Wijngaart. https://bit.ly/2lZLxFJ 

15:00 Galerie Stam (Prinsengracht 356 sous). "Fire Works," five artist showing ceramics and one with paintings. https://bit.ly/2A720Sg

16:00 Galerie Hamer (Leliegracht 38). Fourteen naïve artists show in "Hamer Highlights." the best of the gallery's stable. https://bit.ly/11Haf0H 

16:00 Galerie Clement (Prinsengracht 843). Sarah van der Pols, drawings. Also Margot de Jager, paintings. The introduction talk will be by Anneke Oele, the former director of ArtAsmterdam. https://bit.ly/2J3VcnE 

16:00 Galerie Witteveen (Keizersgracht 538). Pieter Bijwaard and Dinah Blok present "BLENDING ARCHIEVES." https://bit.ly/2NR0zdF 

17-19:00 Galerie Reflex (Weteringschans 79a). Andrew Moore, "Making History." Photos from 1990-2010. https://reflexamsterdam.com/ 

17:00 Galerie SLEWE (Kerkstraat 105). Frank Van den Broeck, drawings and paintings. https://www.slewe.nl/ 

(?)17-19:00 RON MANDOS (Prinsengracht 282). Katinka Lampe, paintings. http://www.ronmandos.nl/ 

17-19 "tegenboschvanvreden" (Bloemgracht 57). Witte van Hulzen and Sander Breure. https://bit.ly/1ijJJ6u 

(?) Steendrukkerij Amsterdam (Lauriergracht 780). Group show of print makers. https://bit.ly/2uHWeAJ 

(?)17-19:00 De Expeditie (Leliegracht 47). Niek Kemps. https://bit.ly/1GWgH2v 

17:00 Soledad Senlle Gallery (Sloterkade 171). "The limpet and the cloud: An installation and sculptures by French artists Emilie Faïf and Arnold Goron. https://bit.ly/2uPJHMD 

17:00 Mediamatic BANK (Vijzelstraat 68). "Little disco robot gathering," shows the resuts of the robotic making workshop. FREE. https://bit.ly/2vC2IzX 

(?)17-19:00 E. de Bruijne Projects (Rosengracht 207). Erkka Nissenen and Vincent Vulsma. https://bit.ly/2mtlPtp 

SUNDAY: 11th April
SUNDAY: 11th April

12-17:00 KunstEilanden Amsterdam. A group of six artists and three galleries have begun a program of opening their space on the second Sunday of every month. Sounds like a good initiative. More info and locations at: https://bit.ly/2LzeE19 

13-18:00 Grafisch Collectief: Thoets (Nassaukade 321) has an open day with the works of seven print makers. No web-site on invite. 

16:00 "galerie FW:BK" (Zwanenburgwal 186). Pin van der Horst, porcelain objects and prints; Gert Merlijn makes light objects. https://fwbk.nl/coworking 

16-18:00 ABC TREEHOUSE (Voetboogstraat 11). Chantz Perkins, "'50-50' Solo Exhibition of Stowe and Bronze Sculptures" The invite states "Perkins is the mistress of the female form." https://bit.ly/2Jp6HX6 

16:00 Art[s]Galerie (Balthasar Floriszstraat 23). Madelon Gouman, paintings. http://alafran.nl/kunstenaars/madelon-gouman 

16-17:00 Smart Project Space (Arie Biemondstraaat 111). "Talk Back - Artist talk and Book Launch." Robin van't Haar's "Details" contains a collection of his "CityScripts" projects. "Artist Lion Hellings will deliver a reading and engage the artist and audience in a lively converastion." FREE. https://bit.ly/2ufXTyc 

16-19:00 De Service Garage (Stephensonstraat 16). An artist talk with Pieter Paul Pothoven and Marina de Vries, art critic for De Volkskrant. This could be interesting from a technical point of view. PPP "ventured to the remote Lapis Lazuli mines in North-East Afghanistan. He mapped the source of ultramarine blue, a color that plays an important role in European visual culture." https://bit.ly/2m7z16Y 

16:00 Midnight Magneet Festival (Trouw Amsterdam, Wibautstraat 131). Not sure what this is all about, but "Eet-o-theek" will "perform." 3D is still licking lips over their last serving of a Belgium Waffle...How sweet it was! http://www.magneetfestival.nl, http://www.superhallo.nl/ 

20:00 Mediamatic BANK (Vijzelstraat 68). "Tat, Rap, Vids and Robots, just come and have a weird time and funny evening with us." "The Dogs of Shame'' will be giving a performance workshop about tattoos, hip-hop and video making. FREE. https://bit.ly/2vC2IzX 

MONDAY: 12th April
MONDAY: 12th April

(?) 18:00 Vriend Van Bavink (Geldersekade 58). Dim Balsemi's "Gentlemen," a photo exhibition of the Hilversum rugby club. http://www.vriendvanbavink.nl/ 

WEDNESDAY: 14th April
WEDNESDAY: 14th April 

15:00 Het Glazen Huis (Amstel Park). Five artists show. Sorry, no web-site on invite. 
*** 

There you have it. Another great week to look forward to in sun-blessed Amsterdam. Enjoy your trip through the city as you travel from gallery to gallery. The flowers are in bloom; and it feels good to be alive. Take advantage of it! Don't sit at home hypnotized by reruns of inane TV sit-coms. Do your cultural brain-lobe a favor and feed it with something substantially worthwhile. A pretty picture. And he knows, for the single people, amongst 3D Lists' readers, you may meet another art lover that is either as pretty as a picture or as handsome as a sculpture. Kid you not! 

Photo:  3D is in love...again. But which one to choose? Perhaps this calls for a ménage á trois, At the opening for "The Hoerengracht" at the Amsterdam Historical Museum, The performers are: "Dames van Plezier", Photo by: Gosia Stepien

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