Art The Hague 2016; Fokker terminal, The Hague

Art fairs aren’t the most exciting places to see real surprises and Art The Hague is no exception, in spite of it calling itself ‘quirky’.

To be honest, compared to last year the ascending line seems to have levelled.

Klaas Gubbels – Rento Brattinga

Pieter de Krom – Vonkel

In the offices next to the hangar (places where you might expect something interesting in the very short tradition of this fair in this place) there is little reason for excitement.

Marie Pop – Vonkel

Ko Aarts – Rento Brattinga

Johannes Langkamp – A Gallery Named Sue

Although some interesting items are on show, the arrangements are a bit messy (the best presentations are the rooms of Livingstone gallery and Rento Brattinga), and the Blueprint presentation shouldn’t even be mentioned.

Auke de Vries – Nouvelles Images

Auke de Vries – Nouvelles Images

Auke de Vries – Nouvelles Images

Auke de Vries – Nouvelles Images

Central to the hangar, which serves as the main hall, is Nouvelles Images gallery’s presentation of works by Auke de Vries, one of the grand old men of Dutch sculpture.

Lotte van Lieshout – Galerie Wit

Ruben Terlou – Galerie Fontana

Ruben Terlou – Galerie Fontana

Miranda Meijer – A Gallery Named Sue

Hernán Ardila Delgado – A Gallery Named Sue

Geert Baas – Galerie Ramakers

Eric de Vries – WTC Rotterdam Art Gallery

Further on in the hangar it was the usual stuff, including – of course – some real gems.

Kevin Bauer – Galerie Helder

Micha Patiniott – Heden

Summer Matthews – Aboriginal Art Gallery

Coen Vernooij – Gallery 0-68

Coen Vernooij – Gallery 0-68

Unknown artist – WTC The Hague Art Gallery

Marc Mulders – Galerie Dom’Arte

Still, i know it is a hell of a job organising an annual art fair, but it would be about time to outgrow a bit the sedate image of this town.

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

However, the best place to be is outside and behind the building: it’s Dirty Daisies, a co-operation of 15 artists from The Hague and Amsterdam.

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies is curated by Steef Crombach and there is some good stuff on show.

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

Dirty Daisies

The artists are: Candela Bado, Zeno Beikircher, Yair Callender, Daniel Dmyszewicz, Frederik & Jacob, Doris Hardeman, Josje Hattink, Bas Kaufmann, Koolen & Van de Lande, Tobias Lengkeek, Leslie Nagel, Jeannette Slütter, Marnix van Uum and Victor Yudaev.

Dirty Daisies

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

Content of all pictures courtesy to the artists and galleries

 

Bertus Pieters

Wild is the Wind, Galerie Helder, The Hague

Helder gallery has joined works by three artists in its present show in a happy combination.

Kevin Bauer shows sculptures that almost look like three-dimensional paintings. They

rhyme well with Marena Seeling’s paintings and watercolours, most of them based on modern Dutch countryside landscape.

Stephan van den Burg shows his small drawings which are made as meticulously as tapestry, amongst them some new more colourful works.

It is best to take a look for yourself as there is a lot to be seen.

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

Contents of all pictures courtesy the artists and Galerie Helder

 

Bertus Pieters

Sommernachmittag, A Gallery Named Sue, The Hague

While life outside goes on,

inside A Gallery Named Sue in The Hague life takes a different turn, combining 19th century Dutch painting and today’s art in the exhibition Sommernachmittag.

Matthias Grothus’ (1982) work Methamorphose is omnipresent with its bird sounds,

creating a strange acoustic background for H. W. Mesdag’s (1841 – 1915) moonlit seascape of the 1890s.

Mesdag’s painting in visual rhyme with a photograph from the Night View series by Reggie Voigtländer (1966) (far left), The Blouse She Wore last Summer by Kevin Bauer (1987) (left) and a View of Dordrecht by J.B. Jongkind (1819 – 1891) (right).

Apart from Mesdag and Jongkind there are some works from the Dutch romantic era on show, amongst them works by Andreas Schelfhout (1787 – 1870)

and his pupil Wijnand Nuijen (1813 – 1839).

These romantics are flanking a small work by Brigitte Spiegeler.

Her works seeming to deal with inner space, Spiegeler is in the right place here.

And there ‘s another unexpected meeting!

Kevin Bauer’s work deals with both the inside and the outside, but

in Dario Bongiovanni’s (1984) work the inside is reduced to a few lines and corners (in the background a small painting by Cornelis Springer).

Bongiovanni’s work is combined with a sculpture by Eugène Dodeigne (1923), which is part of the annual The Hague Sculpture show.

The main showground for The Hague Sculpture is the Lange Voorhout. But on its own and in combination with the works of Sommernachmittag this work by Dodeigne has more impact than the whole show at the Lange Voorhout.

Once noticed you can almost feel its presence.

Five photographs of Reggie Voigtländer’s series of six Night Views are on show here. The missing one is presently at the annual Zomerexpo (Summer Exhibition) at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.

Works by Arike Gill (1983) also give a visualisation of inner space.

In summer, if not closed, galleries present the public with group shows. However, making a good group show is an art in itself.

Sommernachmittag is a very good one. The 19th century paintings are from private collections while the contemporary works are for sale.

They make a remarkable combination. The space in the gallery is good and well used. And the opened windows make a connection with the outside world.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge)

 

Bertus Pieters