Dutch art kiss long December weekend! Amsterdam is on a visit to Antwerp! ‘Bisou’ Gallery from Amsterdam’s Eastern Docks (Oostelijke Eilanden), one of the trendiest places to live and relax in the city, docked and anchored from 12 to 15 December at the architecture and gallery space ‘12’ in the Eilandje district of Antwerp. The pop-up exhibition ‘My House is your House’ – 7 artists, mostly Dutch, connected by one associative and narrative chain into a single one in such a way that it seems to be a retrospective of different periods of work of one artist. Julien Rademaker (1978), the owner of ‘Bisou’ (half-French, which explains the romantic name of the gallery), is to be credited with selecting artists who are related in their creative endeavours for the exhibition in Antwerp.
The art spaces of both cities also seem to be twin brothers – the Eastern Docks in Amsterdam, where the ‘Bisou’ gallery is located, are former shipyards where ships were built. ‘12’, opened by AIM Architecture and its founders Wendy Saunders and Vincent de Graaf, occupies the Art Deco-style House, built in 1907 for the office of the successful shipping agency of the Port of Antwerp. With its warehouses downstairs and luxurious (in the Flemish sense of the word) lounges at the top of the building.
The mission of ’12’ is to ‘surround ourselves with passionate and creative minds, striving with us to make a positive impact on the cityscape. Bisou’s invitation to be in the ‘12’ building is yet another opportunity to explore how art and architecture intersect. The Antwerp art space, through its history and restoration – becomes a canvas on which these two disciplines coexist in dialogue, creating a new environment that generates new connections and perspectives.’
The patriarch of the exhibition, Kumi Sugaï (1919-1996) was a Japanese painter, sculptor and printmaker whose career spanned the post-war avant-garde and modern art. Born in Kobe, Japan, he studied at the Osaka School of Fine Arts and worked in commercial advertising before devoting himself to painting. In 1952, Sugai moved to Paris, where he joined the international art scene and exhibited at renowned galleries such as Galerie Craven.
Lieve Maria Eek (1996) and Marthe Bodil Vos (1995) formed the Amsterdam-based duo Maria Bodil, working at the intersection of photography, film and design.
Steven van Lummel (1981), a creative force that wears many faces, has found a place in my heart. From founder of Sweatshop skatepark and Pip The Hague to musician in various bands, host of festival stages and author of interesting podcasts, the range of his talents and endeavours is truly impressive. At his core, Stephen is a world-builder: whether shaping physical spaces or conceptual ideas, he dreams of more and creates even more.