Amsterdam Fair Director’s top picks

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Each time I sit down to write my ‘Top Picks’ I can’t help but think ‘I love my job.’ This is the 4^th time I’ll have the privilege of opening De Kromhouthal doors to 73 exhibitors, 13,000 visitors and approximately 20 dogs and every year it feels more exciting than the last!

There is only one thing that would make the experience of the fair even more thrilling for the team and that would be learning what your top picks are when you come to the fair!

Because you’re the ones we really do it for.

So, if you have Instagram, please snap your favourite artwork and tag us @affordableartfairnl.

Or email us a thought or two on what you liked.

Or fax us with…no, let’s draw the line at fax.

For now though, here’s a sneak peek at the pieces that have caught my eye this year:

FOREIGN FANTASIES

Among the Affordable Art Fairs, Amsterdam is renowned for always having an amazing selection of photography and I’m pleased to say that this next edition will be no exception.

This clutch of works by Hayley Eichenbaum, Huseyin Takin and Swedish newcomer at the fair, Marcus Wallinder, have an extraordinary, cinematic quality to them. Uncomplicated compositions captured perfectly, it’s hard not to be a little in awe of their confident elegance.

THE DARK ARTS

At the risk of revealing a secretly Slytherin soul, ‘Covered Parts’ and ‘Holy Violence’ are the titles of my next two favourites this year. One, a breath-taking oil portrait by Petr Mosic and the other a sensual abstract by Sander M. Jonker; these velvety, petrol tones would bring gorgeously gothic luxury to any room.

PATIENT PERFECTION

Back on the white side, I’m also looking forward to delighting in the delicate details of these two works by Annelies Damen and Ulrike Främbs at the fair. All subtle tones and intricate shadows, these artworks are graceful, poetic and full of the artists’ care. They’ll surely inspire any viewer to consider the magic of fabric and the beauty of the brides who became our mothers.

MAKE MINE METALLIC

It intrigued me to see how many artists expertly incorporated metallic surfaces into their works this year. From the pain-stakingly paper sculpted universes of Anne Feat Gaiss to the trophy-like tompoucen of Mickey Philips,  the copper backdrops of Maxim Probst’s otherworldy male nudes and the vast expanses of Jose Naranjo’s rivers, it’s an effect that makes me excited to be with these works ‘in real life’ where they will shimmer in a way that’s hard to fully embrace through a laptop screen.

DEEP BUT UPBEAT BLUES

These two playful works from Dorsan Cousin and Jules Wittock are rich with unpretentious fun. I’m completely charmed by Jules Wittock’s meandering labrinth ‘Enjoy’ and could happily lose myself for hours in his world.

Similarly, looking at Dorsan Cousin’s I’m reminded of a line I often tell friends when they’re choosing an artwork: pick an artwork that ‘sees you back’ in some way. When I looked at the wooden sculptures and joyful orange and blues, in ‘Sortir du Cadre’, it immediately made me think ‘hey, there’s a little corner of my heart marked ‘Ex-Boyfriends’ that looks just like that’!

IF I COULD ONLY HAVE ONE…

Windows, doorways and the places where inside and outside meet, I find often make for interesting subjects. Søren Lynggaard Andersen’s photograph drew me in immediately with the informal way it seems to ask such big questions.

Where are we? What are we doing here? Are we alone?

It’s a soft and simple work. Inviting us to take a second to appreciate the view, before the emails require answers and the kids demand feeding.

Let’s remember to look at life’s warming shades. The dark corners behind the door. The lush grass. The certainty of a future horizon, however, blurry it may seem to us.

It’s an artwork that invites us to pause. To hold our days and moments before us with a little grace and gratitude.

Looking forward to seeing you at the fair!

Yours gratefully,

Blythe