Rotterdam Contemporary Art Fair

The Rotterdam Contemporary Art Fair seems to be on its way to become obsolete. Yes, some good galleries are present and some good artists are represented, but it fails to be an alternative to the Art Rotterdam Fair.

Too much art on show seems to be made to suit the modern or postmodern living room. It seems to be made for buyers who want to feel assured about their identity (not to be confused with individuality).

Everything is there: some expressionism, a bit geometric abstract, a little post-modern etc., to be short, nothing special.

But happily there are exceptions. Probably one of the most remarkable projects is Te Koop (For Sale) by Benjamin Li represented by A Gallery Named Sue.

At Livingstone Gallery painter Jan Wattjes shows an interesting, almost romantic video loop.

At With Tsalling Gallery Jans Muskee has a solo show, which is quite attractive.

Olaf Mooij shows his DJ. Wiel (DJ Wheel), which i personally prefer to real life DJs.

Apart from these interesting things there is more than just boring lifestyle junk. The No Walls presentation is probably more interesting than the greater part of the fair.

Another aspect which adds to the mediocrity of the fair is the lack of international representation. So please, for the next time, do it better or just don’t do it! It all made me long for fried eggs with ham and cheese (an uitsmijter) which i ate in Witte de Withstraat.

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

Bertus Pieters

Ossip at Galerie Ramakers, The Hague

Once i heard a pianist say that each Beethoven sonata has a mechanism of its own. That implies that Beethoven designed a

specific mechanism for each new sonata that would suit the development of its unique content. I had to think about that while looking

at Ossip’s works presently on show at Galerie Ramakers in The Hague. Photo’s from magazines and newspapers are Ossip’s basic material and

in this exhibition he uses a lot of black and white pictures of stuff from art history. Rubens, Matisse, Picasso and others come

along, but it’s the pictures that are important, not the stories or the fame of the protagonists. They are just the shapes

and forms that trigger the mechanism of each work and in turn the mechanism creates the work. Ossip is not just being playful:

with each work he creates a new union of harmony and disharmony, thus allowing each work to create its own content and feeling.

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

Bertus Pieters