Enclosed Volume, works by Geert Baas, Niko de Wit and Yumiko Yoneda; Ramakers Galerie, The Hague

Yumiko Yoneda

To make a statement about volume, the sensuality of its surface, the bulkiness of its mass, the ambiguity of its content and inclusively a lot more, you don’t need a hundred artists, you only need three very good ones.

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

That much is clear from the present show of recent and new works by Geert Baas (1955), Niko de Wit (1948) and Yumiko Yoneda (1965) at Galerie Ramakers.

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Niko de Wit

Geert Baas

Niko de Wit

Baas, De Wit and Yoneda are very different artists but their works potentially intensify each other.

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Geert Baas

Geert Baas

Geert Baas

All three seem to aim at a certain perfection of thought.

Geert Baas

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Even in the tongue in cheek looking objects by Baas it is their aesthetic perfection that puzzles most.

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

There is of course a remarkable discrepancy between the angularity of De Wit’s works and the soft curviness of Yoneda’s objects.

Geert Baas

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Yumiko Yoneda

Geert Baas

However their differences evolve into a dialogue in this wonderful ménage a trois.

Geert Baas

Geert Baas

Geert Baas

Geert Baas

Geert Baas

For any group exhibition you need dialogue and space, which in this case becomes a statement of aesthetics..

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Niko de Wit

Geert Baas

This is an exhibition to enjoy and wonder, and one which I highly recommend.

Geert Baas

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

© Villa Next Door 2018

Content of all photographs courtesy to the artists and to Ramakers Galerie, Den Haag

Bertus Pieters

Pieter Paul Pothoven, facade suspended; Dürst Britt & Mayhew, The Hague

I visited Dürst Britt & Mayhew to write a review for Villa La Repubblica about Pieter Paul Pothoven’s installation facade suspended. Click here to read the review (in Dutch)

Pothoven (1981) realised an installation that deals with the activist group RaRa (Revolutionary Anti-Racism Action; “rara” being a Dutch expression for “you guess”).

In the second half of the 1980s they committed arson attacks against Dutch companies who invested in South Africa and who were as such seen as supporters of the apartheid regime which was still waging its violent rule.

Although damage cost millions of Dutch guilders, there were no victims.

Pothoven focuses on the shop front of the house which was raided by Dutch police in 1988 in which they hoped to find the nerve centre of RaRa and tons of proof.

To no avail and RaRa is still a kind of a mystery.

As I have written quite extensively on Villa La Repubblica I leave you here with some impressions, but do go and take a look yourself!

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

© Villa Next Door 2018

Content of all pictures courtesy to Pieter Paul Pothoven and Dürst Britt & Mayhew, Den Haag

Bertus Pieters

Façades of The Hague #63

Façade of the building of painters’ association (‘schilderkundig genootschap’) Pulchri Studio, Lange Voorhout.

Originally built in the 16th century, it got its present appearance in the 18^th century.

Many of its inhabitants had chic names, all but a few forgotten by now.

The building was bought by Pulchri Studio (‘For the Study of Beauty’; the association was founded in 1847) in 1896 and was opened by the association in 1901.

Pulchri Studio (in short Pulchri) still exists and the association’s building has some of the most wonderful exhibition spaces in The Hague, although it should be said that exhibitions not always live up to that magnificence.

On the other hand Pulchri is the grand old lady of The Hague art institutions and is a household name, which, as such, should be cherished.

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

© Villa Next Door 2018

All pictures were taken in March 2017

Bertus Pieters

Martin Gabriel, non beton place; The Balcony, The Hague

Sometimes artists need just little space to show their work.

A pop up exhibition space like a shop window can be enough; especially so for multi-disciplinary artist Martin Gabriel (1991) who is occupied with space, even creating it where it is not.

At the moment The Balcony is a shop window at 14 Herenstraat which has an exhibition programme and Gabriel is showing his installation non beton place there.

Reflection and extension play an important role in the work.

It might seem that with a camera (or without one for that matter) the window itself is an obstacle, but on the other hand the reflections in the shop window bring even more space into the composition.

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

Villa Next Door 2018

Content of all photographs courtesy to Martin Gabriel and The Balcony, Den Haag

Bertus Pieters