With work by Koos Buster, Zoro Feigl, Tina Farifteh, Sam Andrea, Celine van den Boorn, Anouk Kruithof

Art Rotterdam 
Rotterdam Ahoy
Ahoyweg 10
3084 BA Rotterdam

After an impressive first edition in 2022, the Minister of Ceramic Affairs Koos Buster presents 'The ministry of Ceramic Affairs 2'. He curates an exhibition in which a diverse selection of ceramic artworks will be presented.

With work by: Emilie Bobek, Koos Buster, Lukas Vonk, Koen Taselaar, Su Melo, Roma Pas, Lesja van Hoof, Bas Oussoren, Denise van den Heuvel, Afra Eisma, Armando, Lucebert, Phoebe Zoe Ho, Lucas Hendrix, Ischa Kempka, Finn Overdevest, Samuel Sarmiento, Natasja Alers, Marianne Lammersen, Oscar Peters and Joran van Soest

raam art space 161 Oosterdokskade Amsterdam, NH, 1011 DL Netherlands (map)

In A Love Supreme, Koos Buster (1991) presents a solo exhibition that serves as an ode to what he holds dear, what inspires him and even what he dislikes. The exhibition unfolds as a ceramic universe balancing humor and beauty, featuring objects such as gumball machines, a BHV emergency box and vending machines for walnuts and peanuts.

At the heart of the exhibition are more than 150 ceramic decorative plates from the series 'Sierborden van alles dat ik niet leuk vind': an encyclopedic overview of all that Koos Buster does not like. By immortalizing aversion in ceramic, Buster transforms irritation into something precious. The negative is cherished; the trivial is elevated. The exhibition also presents a series of ceramic books. Due to his dyslexia, reading never came naturally to Koos Buster. Every book he has ever read, he has remade in clay, not as a display of prestige, but with pride. Look, this is all I have read. A Love Supreme further includes a range of objects and installations: cabinets filled with cleaning bottles titled after musical albums that inspire him, tables, key cabinets, security cameras, and the Button for World Peace.

A Love Supreme is Koos Buster’s second solo exhibition at Gallery Vriend van Bavink. During the exhibition, on March 6, the adjacent exhibition space raam art space will open Koos Buster presents: The Ministry of Ceramic Affairs, Part II. In this exhibition, Buster, acting as Minister of Ceramic Affairs, curates a presentation that gives space to other voices and approaches to ceramics. Participating artists include Bas Ousouren, Samuel Sarmiento, Koen Taselaar, and Afra Eisma.

Please mail us for availble works from the exhibition : mail@vanbavinkgallery.com

Photos by Rachel Schraven

Marie Reintjes - ‘Temporary Terrain’

January 16, 2026 - February 14, 2026

Opening on Friday, January 16th at 16:00

Gallery Vriend van Bavink, Oosterdokskade 243

Gallery Vriend van Bavink presents ‘Temporary Terrain’ - a solo exhibition by Marie Reintjes.

Reintjes draws from a personal family archive: thirty years of diaries, photographs, and tangible memories. By borrowing, distorting, and rearranging elements, she allows different layers of time to converge within a single image. Her paintings, clearly composed, rhythmic, and refined, show how light, structure, and omission are just as defining as what she depicts.

For Temporary Terrain, Reintjes brings together new work and earlier paintings, revealing her development: from quiet, airy landscapes to recent collage-like compositions in which memories and found images interlock. The exhibition also marks the publication of her book of the same name, featuring an essay by Inge Pollet.

Marie Reintjes has exhibited in various venues throughout the Netherlands; her work is included in both private and institutional collections. She lives and works in Arnhem and previously won the Vlissingen Art Prize.

photos by Robin Speijer

Art Antwerpen 2025

with work by Koos Buster, Zoro Feigl, Maurice van Tellingen.

Antwerp Expo

More information : https://art-antwerp.com/

Art Antwerp is supported by Mondriaan Fonds.

Post pollution - Willem de Haan

raam art space Amsterdam

28 nov 2025 - 14 feb 2026

Opening 28 nov 16:00 - 20:00

In addition to the gallery, Raam art space Amsterdam will open its doors with the exhibition Post Pollution by Willem de Haan and 99 artists. An exhibition about the value of art, pollution and collective responsibility.

For the exhibition, Willem de Haan traveled to the Mediterranean Sea to collect 99 plastic bottles from the sea. Some were still intact, others worn down by the elements. These plastic bottles were distributed among 99 international artists, each invited to transform their bottle into an artwork and exchange it for a special-edition piece by Willem de Haan.

Waste transformed into something romantic and monetarily valuable: a message in a bottle from an artist.

Post Pollution presents these 99 artworks. If the artworks remain unsold at the end of the exhibition, they will reluctantly be thrown back into the Mediterranean Sea. In doing so, visitors are placed under pressure, confronted with questions about collective responsibility.

Post Pollution will be the first exhibition in a new art space by Gallery Vriend van Bavink, in addition to the gallery. Just a stone’s throw from the gallery, Raam art space Amsterdam will open. In this 8-meter-high glass space of 400 square meters, a rotating exhibition program will be presented, complemented by a broader cultural program.

We are excited to open Raam art space Amsterdam in this beautiful location. It is a new step for the gallery, and we believe it can become a prominent addition to Amsterdam’s cultural scene.

Participating artists:

Carolien Adriaansche, 

Erik Alkema, 

Silvana Araoz-Fraser, 

Salim Bayri, 

Boris de Beijer, 

Eva van Bemmelen, 

Marcel van den Berg, 

Hazel van Berkel, 

Julien Berthier, 

Beni Bischof, 

Zena Van den Block, 

Jhonie van Boeijen, 

Aline Bouvy, 

Stijn ter Braak, 

Tessel Braam, 

Casper Braat, 

Inez de Brauw, 

Elsemarijn Bruys, 

Koos Buster, 

Teun Castelein, 

Bobbi Cleij, 

Jaume Clotet, 

Mélanie Corre, 

Aukje Dekker, 

Bob Demper, 

Mischa Doorenweerd, 

Azul Ehrenberg, 

Brian Elstak, 

Lisa Ertel, 

Paul Faassen, 

Roselyn Flach, 

Neil Fortune,

 Peggy Franck, 

Maaike Fransen, 

Maika Garnica, 

Travis A. G. Geertruida, 

Isa Grütter & Mick Johan, 

Ehsan Ul Haq, 

Daan den Houter, 

Saskia Noor van Imhoff, 

Susanna Inglada, 

Lisa Ijeoma, 

Karin Iturralde Nurnberg, 

Anouk Kruithof, 

Clinton Kabena, 

Annelies Kamen, 

Esther Kokmeijer, 

John Körmeling, 

Koen Kievits, 

Lily Lanfermeijer, 

Harold Lechien, 

Gaston Lisak, 

Noël Loozen, 

Max van Loon, 

Josep Maynou, 

Peter Morrens, 

Edison Ng, 

Ted Noten, 

Navid Nuur, 

Bonnie Ogilvie,

Bas Oussoren, 

Alice Pandolfo, 

Roma Pas, 

Yemo Park, 

Bruin Parry, 

Marta Ríos Pizà, 

Sander Plug, 

Otso Prunnila, 

Maria Roosen, 

Seulbin Roh, 

Redouan Rahmoun, 

Hester Oerlemans, 

Paul de Reus, 

Diana Scherer, 

Jaap Scheeren, 

Simone Schuffelen, 

Shervin/e Sheikh Rezaei, 

Anan Striker, 

Koen Taselaar, 

Tinkebell, 

Jan Tromp, 

Marnix van Uum, 

Frans van Hoek, 

Wouter van de Koot, 

Maurits Verstraete, 

Kasper De Vos, 

Herman de Vries, 

Lotte Werkema, 

Theo Wesselo, 

Anna Weberberger, 

Domas van Wijk, 

Wumen & Ioana Georgescu, 

Mickey Yang, 

Iriée Zamblé, 

Sietske Zandbergen, 

Esmee van Zeeventer, 

Zindzi Zwietering

Das Leben Am Haverkamp.

Celine van den Boorn – ‘Present Absence’

31 october 2025 – 10 january 2026

Opening on Friday October 31st 16:00

Gallery Vriend van Bavink

Oosterdokskade 243

Gallery Vriend van Bavink presents ‘Present Absence’, a solo exhibition by Celine van den Boorn.

Celine van den Boorn uses acrylics to paint away human presence in contemporary imagery. In a new body of work, Celine van den Boorn focuses on tourists and refugees, using press photographs as a starting point.

By painting away both sunbathing tourists on crowded beaches and migrants adrift at sea or waiting in camps, Van den Boorn exposes the unsettling irony between two opposing journeys. One journey is taken in search of leisure, the other out of sheer necessity. She paints away the human presence until only a neutral, unburdened landscape remains, leaving behind landscapes that are visually serene yet haunted by what is no longer seen.

For the exhibition ‘Present Absence’, Celine van den Boorn uses new techniques integrated into her existing practice. By placing painted glass in front of the images she creates layered compositions in which the original subjects remain faintly visible: in other works she shows muted silhouettes or brightly coloured fragments that are left intentionally untouched. This interplay between what is shown and what is concealed uncovers a deeper layer: the blurred boundary between what is real and what we prefer to see. Her work evokes a quiet tension between the contemporary and the timeless, between the untouched landscape and the traces of human presence and tragedy.

Celine van den Boorn (1978) has exhibited her work in museums, galleries, and art fairs such as Singer Laren, Fries Museum, Schunck, Art Rotterdam, and Gallery Vriend van Bavink. Her work is included in different corporate and museum collections.

Installation view: Celine van den Boorn, Present Absence, Gallery Vriend van Bavink, 2025

Thursday, September 11 – through Sunday, September 14

More information : https://www.napplus.nl/

Everybody wants to rule the world

Opening on September 5 - 16:00 

Gallery Vriend van Bavink

In a time of political uncertainty and a collapsed Dutch coalition government, Gallery Vriend van Bavink places a pressing question at the center: what role does propaganda play in shaping ideas, convictions, and political realities? And what role do the media, especially newspapers and the press, play in this process?

The group exhibition Everybody Wants to Rule the World does not present art as propaganda, but art about propaganda. The focus is not on the message itself, but on the persuasive tools: from flags to flyers, from media to protest signs, from framing and slogans to subtle visual strategies. All the various efforts people make to persuade others to accept, adopt, or believe in their ideas.

Beyond newspapers and press imagery, the exhibition also examines the relentless influence of camera footage and projections. How can small details be magnified into instruments of fear and control? Timoteus Anggawan Kusno investigates these mechanisms through a postcolonial lens, questioning the relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia. In his contemporary shadow play, he shows how projections confront us with a constructed reality. Folkert de Jong presents life-sized figures that appear to dance on clogs but wear barrels on their heads. Their limited vision refers to Diogenes, the philosopher who searched in vain with a lantern for an honest man. Other artists likewise reveal how propaganda operates, sometimes with seriousness and confrontation, sometimes with humor and conceptual lightness. Celine van den Boorn, for example, paints away the headline and humans out of a big Dutch newspaper photos, allowing nature to reclaim the image and exposing the layered reality of media representation. The aim is not to prescribe a political stance, but to show how persuasion takes shape, and how cooperation and difference (political, historical, left wing and right wing)  interact within visual culture.

For the exhibition, artist Peim van der Sloot has made a time-released edition that will be available until October 29. 

Participating artists include:

Aldert Mantje & Peter Kempff (G4), Anouk Kruithof, Celine van den Boorn, Folkert de Jong, Joseph Hughes, Koos Buster, Peim van der Sloot, Sam Andrea, Thijs Linssen, Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, Willem de Haan, Zuza Banasińska & Toon den Heijer

SAIL 2025 at Gallery Vriend van Bavink and new upcoming Project Space (official name tba) located on Oosterdokskade 161 - Amsterdam

Esther Kokmeijer & Zoro Feigl

PROGRAM

- Wednesday August 20 17:00 - Opening exhibition Esther Kokmeijer, Zoro Feigl (Oosterdokskade 161)

- Friday August 22 15:00 - 17:00  - SAIL crew parade. Drinks at Vriend van Bavink (Oosterdokskade 243)

- Sunday August 24 15:00  - Artist talk with Esther Kokmeijer and Henrik Richter-Alten + ceremonial ritual at Vriend van Bavink (Oosterdokskade 243)

Some of you may have already heard the news: Gallery Vriend van Bavink is opening a new art space just around the corner from the gallery on the Oosterdokskade 161.

The official opening will take place in November, but during SAIL we’re offering you a sneak preview in and around this impressive new space, featuring works by Esther Kokmeijer and Zoro Feigl.

Deep Meaning of Voyaging - My Sea Is Your Sea

- ESTHER KOKMEIJER

One of the least understood navigation traditions at sea comes from the Marshall Islands in Micronesia, where navigators were able to detect land from a fast distance by feeling and observing how ocean swells are influenced by islands through tidal currents. There is a mystical element to this way of navigating that is deeply intriguing.

Following her curiosity and wonder, in 2018 Esther Kokmeijer traveled to the Marshall Islands, a journey that led to the ongoing project ‘Deep Meaning of Voyaging’. On behalf of the Marshall Islands, together with Henrik Richter-Alten, naval architect and ocean engineer, Esther Kokmeijer will join the SAIL Amsterdam parade with the contemporary traditional Outrigger Canoe 'Rie Ne Jeim’ that they build together with Isocker Anwell, master canoe builder at the Marshall Islands.

'Rie Ne Jeim', is a Saying in the Marshall Islands that means:  "For the common good we need to work together to keep our culture, family and Mother Earth alive, harmony and peace can be created and unity established.”

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With thanks to Alson Kelon, Key keeper of the traditional knowledge of wave navigation and canoe building, Isockor Anwell, master builder of the 'Rie Ne Jeim' and all others from WAM on the Marshall Islands. For more information, please visit canoesmarshallislands.com/

Our intention is to have this vessel take part in the parade, after which it will be taken out of the water, dismantled, and reassembled in the space as a sculptural installation, suspended from the ceiling. The installation will be supported by film projection, audio, and other means of communication.

More information

‘Well Well’

- ZORO FEIGL

Through carefully tuned frequencies, spontaneous patterns emerge on the water surface of the water sculpture, sometimes gentle and delicate, other times like a swirling monster. The vibrations of the water create geometric shapes that are constantly changing, a visual composition in a material that we all are.

The patterns appear almost organic, as if the water itself is speaking in a visual language of resonance. Watching becomes listening, and sound becomes image. What begins as a physics experiment unfolds into a meditative experience, turning waves into sculptures and the surface into a drawing.

Both Feigl’s and Kokmeijer’s works reflect a shared ground with how we, as humans, seek to interpret, contain, and frame the natural world, sometimes poetically, sometimes forcefully.

A CLEVER WAY INTO THE HEART – Silke van Kamp

with Lisa Verbelen ( in Dutch ) 

Oosterdokskade 243

Tickets

We are proud to be the premiere location for the theatrical reading of the essay 'A Clever Way into the Heart' by Silke van Kamp, which was recently awarded the Lucian T. Armozatia Award 2025

In the perfromance and essay Van Kamp reflects on the boundary-pushing art of Maurizio Cattelan, which helped her rediscover her love for art. The result is an intimate and razor-sharp reflection on fear of failure, art, and artistic freedom. 

A powerful plea for the role of art as both a mirror and a driving force of the heart.

24 - 27 juli, make sure to reserve a ticket soon! 

More information & tickets here

Punctum

Aldo van den Broek

22 mei – 5 juli

& on view by appointment until mid-August.

 On May 22, Gallery Vriend van Bavink proudly presents a solo exhibition by Aldo van den Broek: Punctum (Kiss. Ride. Repeat.). During Amsterdam Art Week we present the exhibition 'Punctum', that one detail that inexplicably touches you.

In his new paintings, Aldo van den Broek (1985) incorporates current themes interwoven with personal experiences. His work raises questions about ethics, power and identity, and explores the tension between control and chaos. People, objects, and architectural fragments that emerge from his layered compositions invite viewers to reflect: what remains when systems fail, and where can one find solace and contemplation?

Van den Broek’s approach is intuitive and transformative. His work carries a strong personal and emotional charge while also exploring universal cycles of decay and renewal. He constructs his work from visibly timeworn materials such as cardboard, wood, metal, and textiles. What was once trash or a scrap of cardboard becomes a mountain landscape, a building, a portrait. His process plays with chance, distortion, and repetition—no image is ever final. At the heart of the exhibition there is Van den Broek’s interpretation of Die Toteninsel (The Isle of the Dead), a work that fascinates him endlessly. In his hands, this piece gains a new sense of urgency in the context of our current times.

Aldo van den Broek is an artist who travels the world, with his base in Amsterdam. In recent years, he has worked and exhibited internationally from Berlin, London, Tbilisi, Tokyo, and Siberia to Mexico. His works are rooted in personal experiences but resonate on a universal level. Time and again, he poses the question: what remains after the collapse? That is where Van den Broek’s work begins.

We are proud to present a duo presentation by Margriet van Weenen and Esther Kokmeijer + a new video work by Anouk Kruithof

During the exhibition the new video work ‘Lick it, leak it, like it’ by Anouk Kruithof will be presented in the gallery. A video that merges fleshy sensuality with an unsettling commentary on resource scarcity and environmental crisis. In this semi-erotic performance video, a series of individuals gather by the seashore, facing the endless expanse of the ocean, their eyes fixed on tiny ice sculptures clutched in their hands. Each sculpture is like a popsicle but uniquely absurd, containing frozen fragments of plastic litter, remnants, and waste collected from the sea by Kruithof herself.

Where the Sky meets the Sea, meets the Ice

— ESTHER KOKMEIJER

In her new exhibition ‘Where the Sky meets the Sea, meets the Ice’, Esther Kokmeijer shows work that reflects on the deep urge to discover, order and represent the world’s geographic and natural phenomena. She presents work from three ongoing series: ‘Facing Antarctica’, ‘Terra Nullius’ and ‘Cyanometers’. Kokmeijer presents a series of analog instruments to measure ‘nature’, in an attempt to measure and grasp its natural environment. This ongoing series is inspired by the analog instrument ‘Cyanometer’ of Swiss scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740-1799). To measure the blueness of the sky, de Saussure used papers dyed in graduated shades of blue and ordered them in a color circle which he carried climbing Mont Blanc. Alexander von Humboldt used this instrument for scientific research during his expeditions. Kokmeijer makes contemporary Cyanometers, reflecting on our intrinsic desire to quantify and understand the world around us. Among these cyanometers are ‘To measure the darkness of the night sky’, ‘To Measure the Illumination of the Moonlight’ and ‘To Measure the Gradation of the Sunrise and Sunset’. For Esther Kokmeijer creating the colour wheels, feels like a sublime way of interacting with the environment to merge with it and measure the immeasurability of some natural phenomena. Also Kokmeijer presents the work ‘Terra Nullius — Ownership and Pioneering on Ice’ that forms its origine in a political approach. Since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, Antarctica has been a preserve for peaceful purposes, scientific investigation, and environmental protection. It is a continent without a native human population, without any weapons, and without any ownership. Although technically not owned by anyone, Antarctica now plays a more significant role on the world stage than ever before.

Kokmeijer started to collect historical and current maps of Antarctica illustrating the various — sometimes overlapping — territorial claims. The maps are made for different purposes by different nations and with various information like mineral deposits, terrain type, bedrock topography, and historical claims. As a statement in support of protecting and preserving Antarctica’s pristine condition, Kokmeijer used correction tape to obscure all details on maps of Antarctica — and more recently, parts of the Arctic, specifically Greenland and Spitsbergen — prompted by the challenges facing the contemporary world. Another work Esther Kokmeijer presents is ‘Facing Antarctica’, an installation featuring a monastery cabinet filled with over forty globes, all oriented with the South Pole facing the viewer. By altering the conventional perspective of the world, Kokmeijer seeks to grant Antarctica a greater sense of significance and magnificence, challenging traditional cartographic representations that often place the region at the margins. This shift in viewpoint invites viewers to reconsider the continent’s role in the global landscape — both geographically and symbolically. In the installation ‘Meet me where the Sky Embraces the Earth’, empty globe frames form a landscape of endurance and strength.

The mountain we trust. The current we are.

— MARGRIET VAN WEENEN

For the exhibition The Mountain We Trust. The Current We Are., Margriet van Weenen has curated a selection of works that relate to the Arctic, drifting iceberg, desolated nature and exploration. In her work Van Weenen employs a range of photographic and painting techniques. Her work is characterized by exploring the blurred boundary between these two media, combined with a strong conceptual approach.

‘ICE AGE IS COMING’, explores themes related to the Arctic. This artistic research project investigates the various connections between the northern Dutch coast and the Arctic, using the landscape as both a material and a site for research and presentation. Drawing on archival data, field research, and insights from climate and geological institutes, van Weenen examines the impact of past and present climatic shifts. The series references the last Ice Age, which shaped the Wadden Sea through rising sea levels. At the same time, it reflects on the present, where our existence is threatened by melting ice, and the future, where the potential disruption of the Gulf Stream could trigger a new Ice Age. For this project se made a sea voyage from Spitsbergen to Harlingen. Where the series Sailing Home in Conversation with Louise A. Boyd originated from.”

In this van Weenen reflects on the legacy of polar explorer Louise A. Boyd, who undertook numerous Arctic expeditions in the 1930s—a remarkable achievement for a woman in that era. Boyd captured hundreds of photographs, many of which continue to serve as valuable resources for contemporary polar research. Through her work, van Weenen pays homage to Boyd, while simultaneously activating, revealing, and making Boyd’s archives visible.

This connects to the series ‘ICEBERG, page 106’ where van Weenen references a 1960s practice of marking dangerous icebergs with paint. Through this body of work, she continuously repaints the same iceberg over and over on a found photograph, highlighting the ever-changing nature of icebergs and the tension between permanence and impermanence in the Antarctic landscape.

The work, Secret Mountain, an imaginary hike, starts from a collection of vintage photographs that Van Weenen found in various places. The collection features images of nature, mountains, caves, and landscapes. They were taken by random people during hikes in the past. She has also photographed extensively during her own hikes. The photos come from different times, various places, and were captured using different photographic techniques. The combination of images creates a documentation of a journey and a landscape that never existed, a quest for a mountain that only exists in memories: Secret Mountain. Yet it exists, for it was once photographed."

Bio

Margriet van Weenen (1983) explores the connections between media such as photography, painting and sculpture, taking artistic research and the existing as the starting point, works within artistic research using a wide range of media, often starting from photography and existing elements. Her works often move between photography and painting. She creates installations that explore themes surrounding the duality between materialization and the metaphysical, as well as the construction and deconstruction of landscapes. Van Weenen is fascinated by raw, rugged, and cold landscapes—nature free from culture. At the core of her work is the changing landscape and the role of humans within it. She seeks images that emphasize the absence of humans, referencing geological eras in which humans played no part, or imagining a future where humans may no longer be present. Time, travel, and observing nature are essential to her artistic process, making her work a reflection of the ongoing tension between nature and human influence. But also the landscape within you, as a human. We are the landscape, the landscape is within you.

Van Weenen lives and works in Noordhorn, Groningen. She studied at Minerva Academy (2006) in autonomous visual arts with an emphasis on photography and earned her master's degree at the Frank Mohr Institute (2009) in the advanced painting department.

BOOTH B01

With work by Koos Buster, Celine van den Born, Aldo van den Broek, Esther Kokmeijer, Margriet van Weenen, Tja Ling Hu, Tina Farifteh, Maurice van Tellingen en Stijn ter Braak

Rotterdam Ahoy
Ahoyweg 10

https://www.artrotterdam.com/

Inaugural exhibition Vriend van Bavink’s new gallery space

Opening January 31 from 15:00

Opening words around 18:00 by Theo Wesselo, Fen Verstappen and Michelle Schimscheimer

A group exhibition revolving around the theme ’Empathy’

With work by: Kenneth Aidoo, Sam Andrea, Celine van den Boorn, Stijn ter Braak, Aldo van den Broek, Koos Buster, Tina Farifteh, Roos van Haaften, Tja Ling Hu, Ayşen Kaptanoğlu, Su Melo, Piet Parra, Maurice van Tellingen , Koen Vermeule, Theo Wesselo

We celebrate our new location with the group exhibition ‘Promise that you will sing about me’. An exhibition that revolves around the theme Empathy. In the exhibition, a selection of artists present paintings, ceramic works, photographs, and installations that directly or indirectly reflect on the theme of empathy, explore the notion of empathy, or show works that evoke empathy.

In the 19th century, philosophers of aesthetics reflected on why art evoked emotions in people. They proposed the idea that art personifies, activating the viewer's memories and emotions. Empathy was the mysterious element that connected the artwork with the observer. In a hardened and divided world, we are quick to judge. We often make decisions based on feelings, prejudices, or first impressions. Art provides the means to clear this mental fog and introduces us to the stories of people across time and space. For its first exhibition in the new gallery, Vriend van Bavink presents a theme that may be particularly relevant in an era where empathy is sometimes viewed by some as a weakness.

Galerie Vriend van Bavink will present a solo booth with works by Koos Buster. Buster has played an important role in the growing popularity of ceramics in the Netherlands. The booth will include colourful spatial works as well as works on the wall. Buster honours and preserves everyday objects by turning them into cheerful ceramic artworks. From an ATM to a gumball machine, a cleaning cart or a power socket, all of these objects are transformed into his distinctive visual style. Ceramics are both precious and historically rich. Buster loves the fragile nature of the material: it is durable and will last indefinitely if left untouched, but it can break easily—something that serves as a metaphor for the transitory nature of life. This year the artist participated in several museum exhibitions, amongst which a solo show at Museum MORE.

Artist shown at the fair: Koos Buster

Art Antwerp 2024

Booth 53 with work by Kadir van Lohuizen, Anouk Kruithof, Natscha Libbert, Stijn Elshuis at Unbound

Preview:
Thursday 19 September 14.00 – 17.00 Private, invitees only

Opening:
Thursday 19 September 17.00 – 22.00 Private, invitees only

Public opening days:
Friday 20 September 11.00 – 21.00
Saturday 21 September 11.00 – 19.00
Sunday 22 September 11.00 – 19.00

Kadir van Lohuizen toont tijdens Unseen werk uit de serie 'Food for Thought'. De serie geeft inzicht in de voor velen onbekende wereld die achter ons voedsel schuilgaat; waar het geproduceerd wordt en hoe het zich over de wereld verplaatst. De expositie op Unseen is in aansluiting op het recente fotoboek, de VPRO serie en de huidige solo-expositie in het Scheepsvaartmuseum.

Anouk Kruithof presenteert twee werken gemaakt op Curacao waarin de mens is gedegradeerd tot vlaggenstok en kracht van de zee en de aarde wordt verheven tot activistische vlaggen. 

Vernietiging en veerkracht binnen de natuur als een teken des tijds zijn elementen die vrijwel altijd terugkomen in het werk van Natascha Libbert. Ditmaal zocht zij geruststelling in details en formaties waardoor ze de dominantie en ingreep van de mens op een andere manier benadert.

Stijn Elshuis toont op de sectie Unbound de installatie "In the absence of time” dat reflecteert op de ruimte die het westen inneemt in onze perceptie van “de geschiedenis”. 

unseenamsterdam.com

Booth 22 with work by Aldo van den Broek and Tja Ling Hu

Thursday 12 September from 19:00 - 21:00 festive opening
Friday 13 September from 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 14 September from 11:00 - 19:00
Sunday 15 September from 11:00 - 17:00

www.napplus.nl

Tja Ling Hu, Aldo van den broek, Azul Ehrenberg

17 - 19 mei - Forteiland IJmuiden

www.art-island.nl

Aldo van den Broek

‘ECHO’

A solo exhibition at the Amsterdam Court House (open for public)
April 3 till June 27, 2024.

Request more information or the catalogue

Within the solemn halls of the Amsterdam Courthouse, where justice intersects with society's intricacies, Aldo van den Broek's exhibition "Echo" aims to provoke introspection and contemplation among its viewers. The grandeur of the courthouse building itself plays an active role in the presentation, its white marbleish walls providing a stark contrast to Aldo's deliberate use of humble materials like dirt, cardboard, and wood. Each contrasting swath of black and white on his canvases serves as a symbolic representation of the dichotomies within our justice system, evoking notions of right and wrong, innocence and guilt, order and chaos. Through this visual language, viewers are prompted to confront the complexities and contradictions inherent in legal frameworks, contemplating the principles and practices that underpin societal notions of justice. In the showcased works, the distinction between the spectator, the judge, and the prosecutor becomes muddled, challenging conventional perceptions of viewer participation and prompting introspection on interpretation, moral agency, and power dynamics inherent in engaging with art. By obscuring boundaries between observer and participant, the exhibition encourages viewers to reconsider their roles and responsibilities in shaping meaning within the artistic context, fostering a deeper exploration of subjective perception and the complexities of judgment.

Opening hours:
Monday until friday
8 AM - 5PM

Amsterdamse Rechtbank, Parnassusweg 280, 1076 AV Amsterdam

On the second and third floor

Location : Gallery van Fanny Freytag

15 december - 20 januari

Opening 15 december 17:00

meer informatie

Met plezier nodigen we je uit voor de opening van de solo expositie ‘Fecund Ground’ van Sam Andrea (1991) op 15 december . Na twee solo exposities bij Gallery Vriend van Bavink toont Sam Andrea nieuw werk dat hij in het afgelopen jaar maakte bij de zus van Bavink : Gallery Van Fanny Freytag.

Tedere punkbarok als antigif voor cynisme en polarisatie is wat Sam Andrea ons geeft in Fecund Ground. Wroeten in de aarde, vrijen, vechten en schilderen, voor Sam Andrea zijn het uitingen van levensdrift. De afgebeelde mensen in zijn nieuwe serie olieverfschilderijen staan zeer dicht bij de schilder maar overstijgen het persoonlijke. Wat opvalt is het subtiele palet, waarin zachte grijzen, groenen en blauwen overheersen, afgewisseld met kwetsbare rozerode huid partijen. Gebaseerd op zijn ervaringen, gebeurtenissen en gevoelswereld creëert Sam Andrea een fictief universum. Je wordt uitgenodigd mee naar binnen te kijken, en je fantasie te laten gaan.

Tijdens Unseen 2023 presenteert Gallery Vriend van Bavink fotografisch werk van Anouk Kruithof en fotografie op keramiek van Jan Hoek & Duran Lantink en Koos Buster. 

Jan Hoek & Duran Lantink werken al een aantal jaar samen en presenteren werk uit verschillende series die ze samen maakte. De iconische beelden van Jan & Duran worden gepresenteerd op keramiek waardoor de foto's eeuwig blijven beschermd tegen licht, vocht en dus niet zullen vergaan. 

Het heet gebakken werk van Koos Buster sluit hier op aan. Hij laat een aantal nieuwe werken zien waarin hij fotografisch werk in installaties heeft verwerkt. 

Nieuwe fotografische werken van Anouk Kruithof tonen onderzeese droomlandschappen, waarin stokoude levensvormen zoals de doorschijnende kwal voorkomen. Over grote delen van de oceaan blijven we in het duister tasten, terwijl we die wateren wel vervuilen met (vaak doorzichtige) plastics, die als cyborgs verstrengeld raken met de natuurlijke oceaanbewoners en die dusdanig verwarren dat het natuurlijke moeilijk van het artificiële te onderscheiden is. 

Stijn Elshuis reflecteert op de tijd waarin we leven door kruisverbanden te leggen met oude beschavingen. In de UNBOUND sectie toont hij de installatie 'Holy mountain'  dat de milieuvervuiling door Tata Steel linkt aan de lijnen van Nazca in Peru. 

We are pleased to present the solo exhibition "VACUUM" by Aldo van den Broek. In this exhibition, the Artist presents a striking number of large-scale male portraiture, as well as multiple still lives, sculptures, and fragments of the everyday. His monochromatic color palette creates a timeless appearance. In contrast, the rough touch of his brush and use of found materials reflects our fast past society. Juxtaposing these qualities enables a symbiotic tension that draws us between the past and the present—at the same time, enriching us with the image of our vulnerability within the ordinary.

Aldo van den Broek's Unconventional travels functioned as the catalyst of his practice's characteristics, which once formed the start of his career and signified his aesthetic, gaze, and working method. This time he will merge into the Sovjet brutalism of Moldavia's metropolis, enabling him to finalize his show vacuum. Once again, submerging into the maladaptive.

Review Aldo van den Broek -VAcuum in Het parool by Edo Duiksterhuis

interview Aldo van den Broek in het Financieel Dagblad by jeroen bos

Interview Aldo van den Broek, nooit meer slapen by Lotje Ijzermans

Koos Buster

SOLO

10 maart - 22 april

Opening vrijdag 10 maart 17:00 

Preview donderdag 9 maart 17:00 

Geldersekade 34 - Amsterdam

Koos Buster (1991) zorgde de afgelopen jaren voor een keramiekrenaissance in Nederland. In 2022 presenteerde hij als zelf benoemd Minister van keramische zaken bij Gallery Vriend van Bavink de expositie “The ministry of Ceramic Affairs” ( # Beste expositie van 2022 volgens het Parool). In navolging van deze expositie presenteert Koos Buster nu “Solo” in de galerie. Op Art Rotterdam 2023 was al een kleine preview te zien zoals onder andere 1 van de 12 jaargangen uit de  “Employee of the Month” serie die tijdens de expositie in zijn totaliteit te zien zal zijn.

In zijn werk eert en conserveert Koos Buster vaak alledaagse voorwerpen door ze te bevriezen in keramiek. Met zijn onmiskenbare artistieke lijnen in keramiek maakt hij van het gewone iets vrolijks en kostbaars en viert hij zo het object. Door bepaalde onopgemerkte objecten te kleien, krijgen ze een heel andere betekenis en geeft hij ze waardering. De expositie “Solo” toont de nieuwste werken van Koos Buster. Naast de 150 zelfportretten uit de “Employee of the month” serie toont hij keramische internetmemes en verschillend werk met Japanse invloeden. Eind 2022 ging Koos Buster als artist in residence naar Japan om inspiratie op te doen en hij werkte daarna een periode in het Europees Keramisch Werkcentrum (EKWC) in Oisterwijk. De faciliteiten daar stelden hem in staat om grote keramische werken te maken zoals twee keramiek pinapparaten, Japanse Shrine Dogs en een Energy Drink Dispenser.

Parra (1976), whose unmistakable style of rich color and playful precision moves on the edge of abstraction and figuration, has been celebrated by international galleries and championed by a devout underground following, Parra has become a respected artist, through solo exhibitions spanning Asia, the United States, and Europe.  He is generally regarded as a founder of a contemporary style that is enigmatic and instantly recognizable and that refers to early 20th-century art movements and painters. In his paintings and sculptures the female form often serves as the protagonist.  The scenes in Parra’s painting communicate strong emotions and powerful gestures that hint at a personal narrative. 

For the first time in the Netherlands, Gallery Vriend van Bavink offers a gallery presentation by Parra. In recent years Parra has presented successful solo exhibitions in galleries in Paris, Bangkok, New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among other places. In the Netherlands he has mainly presented sculptural work in the public space and a museum setting. He has previously exhibited  work in the Kunsthal Rotterdam and the museum Het Hem. 

Nik Christensen(1973), known for many years for his large-format black-ink-on-paper drawings, will be showing new pieces created on canvas. Still executed in black Japanese sumo-ink, which has an unpredictable way of drying, it marks a new chapter in Christensen’s work. Spending time and maintaining a studio in Kameyama, Japan, has allowed him to make different types of Japanese material, ink and brush his own, which is unfolded in his new works. In the new series there is a clear influence of Japanese culture with hints in the direction of Kurosawa’s movies, Ukiyo-e prints, as well as to traditional Japanese theater, Kabuki and Butoh dance.

Christensen’s work is held in the collections of the Gemeente Museum Den Haag, the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam among others, as well as in major public and private collections internationally. 

2022 was the year of Koos Buster (1991). Buster has made a successful effort to make ceramics sexy again, in the wake of his acclaimed show at Vriend van Bavink, “The ministry of ceramic affairs” (rated as best exhibit of 2022 by Parool 24/12).

As a sneak preview of a solo exhibition to be held at the gallery in March, Koos Buster will display a new series of works at Art Rotterdam. Buster went to Japan as an artist in residence to gain inspiration and since then has been working at the Europees Keramisch Werkcentrum ( EKWC) in Oisterwijk . The facilities there made it possible for him to create large ceramic works such as Cash Machines, Shrine Dogs and Energy Drink Dispensers.  In his work Koos Buster honors everyday objects by freezing them in ceramics.  With his unmistakable artistic lines he turns the ordinary into something cheerful and precious.  At Art Rotterdam Koos Buster will also present a Japanese cash machine alongside work by Aldo van den Broek that he made during a residency in Tokyo. 

Art Rotterdam adds a unique element to its programming - Sculpture Park - a presentation of large-format works of art that enter into relationships with nature and the urban environment. Esther Kokmeijer will present her work Sedimentary Rock. 

 Sedimentary Rock (Rotterdam) is an installation of cylindrical concrete core samples and wooden crates. The cores were excavated from a fenced area situated in the north-east of Rotterdam - a wasteland covered by a thick layer of concrete slabs. The last use made of the land was by a private factory called the Rotterdamse Betoncentrale. This firm had patented a secret recipe by which they mixed cement with waste and toxic waste materials to create concrete.

 https://www.artrotterdam.com

Before the scenes

soloshow van Willem de Haan 

met werk van:

Koos Buster, Aukje Dekker, Tja Ling Hu, Esther Kokmeijer en Maurice van Tellingen

 Verrassend genoeg is 'Before the scenes' de eerste galerie-solo in Nederland van conceptueel zwaargewicht Willem de Haan. Ook verrassend: hij laat niet alleen zijn eigen werk zien, maar ook originele werken van vijf andere kunstenaars van de galerie. De expositie toont de verscheidenheid van artistieke praktijken en de bijbehorende omgevingen waarin kunstwerken zich bevinden vóórdat ze te zien zijn in een galerie. 

Willem de Haan is een multidisciplinair kunstenaar die bekend staat om zijn vaak licht absurdistische en humoristische werk. Zijn installaties, fotografie en videos gaan over herkenbare situaties die hem opvallen in het dagelijks leven. In zijn werk speelt hij vervolgens met de menselijke conditie, verwachtingen en logica. Eerder opende hij een landingsbaan in Amsterdam Noord en een metrostation voor de ingang van Art Rotterdam. Voor zijn nieuwste expositie bij Vriend van Bavink heeft hij een deel van ateliers van kunstenaars uitgezaagd en naar de galerie verplaatst. 

Willem de Haan (1996) studeerde in 2017 met 20 jaar als jongste student ooit af van Fine Arts aan ArtEZ in Arnhem. Zijn projecten zijn internationaal te zien geweest in België, Duitsland, Engeland, Italië, Oostenrijk, Rusland, Spanje en Turkije. Onlangs toonde hij nieuw werk tijdens de Vienna Art Week en maakte hij drie monumentale installaties voor de tentoonstelling 'Corporate Offsite Dwelling A' in Museum CODA.