Amsterdam 2023: Fair Director’s picks
Discover Fair Director Blythe Bolton’s top picks from Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam (1 – 5 November 2023, De Kromhouthal).
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Blythe Bolton
Thursday 26 October, 2023
At the time of considering my highlights, we are just one week away from Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam 2023 and we can’t wait to welcome you all back to the Kromhouthal!
The team and I were thrilled to receive over 130 applications for our 71 stands this year and we’re delighted to be welcoming 20 new galleries at our 17th edition of the fair.
Similarly new at the fair are our specially curated sections, Spotlight on Spain and Urban Art & Beyond, along with spectacular installations from Argentinian artist Alejandro Propato, live painting from artists including Anne Mei Poppe and Ruud Goedhart. Also on my unmissable list are AVROTROS’ Emerging artists exhibition, special features from Streetart Franky and a collaborative exhibition encouraging us to ‘Enjoy the Unexpected’ from Malou Cohen and our sponsor Basel Tourism.
So, without further ado, here are a selection of the artworks that I’m most looking forward to discussing with my grandma at this year’s Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam…
UNDER 500
As always, there are some gems to be found at every price point at Affordable Art Fair and here are a couple that have already caught my eye.
Art collector Lusette van Der Moolen, places small artworks next to all of her electrical sockets so this work from Ruud Goedhart made me smile thinking of her original and unpretentious approach to curating her home. Ruud will have a solo show presented by Nieuw Charlois and I’m intrigued by prospect of exploring the artist’s world of wondrous appliances.
Eline Brontsema’s expertly skilled woodcut scenes already have me enraptured with their grace and soft tones. Mirrors, windows, doors are all captured with an elegance that’s sure to lighten the spirit of any heavy-hearted viewer. They brim with a rare, ‘peaceful-Sunday-afternoon-reading-with-a-herbal-tea-in-hand’ type of feeling. Domestic bliss indeed.
You can always make me happy with a botanical and this budding branch in ‘The Artist’s Backyard’ is no exception. Losing myself in the soft focus spots of this photograph by Eduardo Dias I can hear Sir David Attenborough’s voice gently encouraging, ’go to the park and enjoy the little green wonders of the world like this artist has.’
EVERYDAY DELIGHTS
Speaking of natural wonders, this bronze bird nest from Mary Kuiper is a treasure I’m curious to have a closer look at. A poetic forever reminder of the hard work that goes into building cradles where eggs or ideas might be nurtured before they emerge into the world. It’s an inspiring little sculpture I’d love to enjoy every day perched on my desk.
Another work of bronze brilliance is this banana peel by Isabel Ritter. Rendered hyper-realistically, it reclines like a dog playing dead trick, ready to make the next visitor giggle and applaud the artists’ skill.
Similarly, ceramicist Michela Castagnaro’s ‘Special Glue for Broken Hearts’ is a playful conversation starter sculpture worthy of collection. Evoking the adorably uncomplicated days where playground engagements were sealed with Haribo rings and tears dried by the offer of cartoon-covered bandaids, Michela’s aesthetic is all youthful charm.
MUST-SEE 3D
3D works, I would propose, benefit most from being experienced in the flesh and this trio of abstract works are sure to be vibrant additions to this year’s edition.
New to the fair Coen Derickx Cut series are a must see for me. Smooth on the outside, faux-furry on the inside, the quirky colour and texture combinations have a futuristic alien-flesh quality that send me straight to the set of Luc Besson’s movie The Fifth Element.
Meanwhile, fair favourite Liliane Demeester’s matte ceramic forms are infinitely satisfying in their undulating curves and chasms. From one angle a hip socket, from another an orchid, they articulate the echoes of beauty that recur across nature.
Finally, I’ll be stopping by to admire Carry Doorn’s 3D fibre art pieces. Created from layers of tulle, they seem to shift with the light and emit an entrancing metamorphosis energy.
LIFT AND DRIFT
On the subject of light, as the Autumn days shorten, I find myself craving canvases that radiate the colour and sunshine of Southern Hemispheres.
Here in Bea Bozon’s Head in the Clouds painting, appreciative viewers are transported to a dreamlike beach of candy floss clouds and flickering figures. Layered with textures, there’s a relaxed assurance to Bea’s approach that effortlessly calms the viewer. It’s the perfect work to hang by a bed ready to soothe a busy mind before sleep.
Similarly shimmering in blues and pinks is this painting by Lucinda Metcalfe. I love the clever way that the pool’s perspective warps towards us, drawing the viewer into it’s refreshing myriad of colours. The solid pink lilo atop the carpet of rippling, coloured tiles calls to us like next summer’s holiday, in view but just out of reach for now.
From the fluid and flowing to a more concrete approach to colour passages, these next two works still deliver on warming up winter nights.
Tobias Stutz’s architectural scenes are an expertly executed interplay of light passages combining to create an eerie scene where the viewer is compelled to provide a narrative. My take: I’m alone, property hunting, in a Californian apocalypse. What about you?
‘Mexican Fragments 008’ by Lotte Lisa Ekkel is a triumph of sizzling light, the photographer exquisitely captures the hand-softened abstract forms of this anonymous building. It’s intimate in its reverence for this small corner where coral meets ochre. I don’t think I’ve ever seen architecture look so sexy.
LINE UP
The nostalgic graphic aesthetic of these next two artworks really spoke to my ageing millennial heart. Both world-renowned artists, it’s a privilege to have their works on show at the fair this year.
Mando Marie’s cosy yet eerie scenes showcase the stencilling expertise for which she’s renowned. The scenes feel edited to the essential components required to convey an entrancing, enigmatic atmosphere. Weird at its most wonderful.
Slightly bouncier in spirit is this irresistibly philosophical mixed media artwork from NYC-based artist Jeremyville, ‘Am I Taking Care of My Plants, Or Are They Taking Care of Me?’ While the title is an either/or first-person question, the artwork shares the truth of universal interconnectedness; the tender figure takes care of their plant and their plant takes care of them. It’s a sweet reminder to move kindly in the world.
I hope you find art at our fair that speaks to you too. You’ll find me and the team at De Kromhouthal from 1 – 5 November 2023.
Main image: Lotte Lisa Ekkel, Mexican Fragments #2, 2022, fine art print, 30×37.5 cm , €725, Mick Agence
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