Midas

He has a Golden Touch

Brighten up your days

While the sun is showing itself less and less, the wind is getting colder and the days are getting shorter, we are busy preparing for a new exciting, eye-catching autumn exhibition.

'Four artists, four techniques’, is an exhibition in which there is something to be found for everyone. Linocuts, bronze statues, oil paintings and ceramics; everything your heart desires.

Participating artists are: Jaap Hartman, Niqui Kommerkamp, Memo Tunali & Froukje Stam.

The exhibition will be officially opened on November 17 (doors open at 02:00 pm) and the official opening speech will be held around 3.30 pm. During the afternoon we will be serving light refreshments. We look forward to seeing you!

This exhibition will run through December 2019.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. (Free entrance)

Invitation

You are cordially invited to join us for the official opening of the exhibition  at ‘Galerie Streetscape’ in Castricum.

The exhibition features paintings, collages, drawings lithos, etchings & sculptures. This is a great opportunity to meet the participating artists in person and engage in conversation while enjoying the art and listening to live music.

The exhibition comprises works by the following artists: Frans Hendriks, Anita Mizrahi, Edo Poland, Niqui Kommerkamp, Peter de Jong  & Marga Klumper.

The official opening will be held on Saturday, July 13 from 5 pm - 7 pm. The Exhibition will be on display from July 13 to August 16, 2019.

Address: Gallery Streetscape, Dorpsstraat 7, 1901 EH Castricum, Netherlands.
Opening hours: Friday - Sunday from 2 to 5 pm or by appointment.

Juno Beach

Juno Beach - June 6, 1944
Pigments on clay by Niqui Kommerkamp
19 x 19 cm

Detail > Juno Beach - June 6, 1944

What am I

Dutch
Keramist (m) -en beoefenaar v.d. pottenbakkerskunst, pottenbakker; (v) -miste -n en -s; ook ceramist
Pot·ten·bak·ker (de; m,v; meervoud: pottenbakkers) maker van potten.

English
Potter /ˈpɒtə/ noun: potter; plural noun: potters; a person who makes dishes, plates, and other objects from clay, usually by hand on a special wheel.

'Potter' seems to be a collective name for anyone who makes something out of clay. But there is an essential difference between a potter and a ceramist. A potter is someone who makes pots and other ceramic goods, while ceramist is a person who makes ceramic objects.

Although both groups can be successful in what they do and both work with clay, the comparison ends here.

According to the English, but also the Dutch dictionaries, a potter ('pottenbakker' in Dutch) is someone who makes pots, but most Dutch dictionaries mention the same under 'keramist' ('ceramist' in English).

It's kind of weird. If you tell a stranger that you are a sculptor, they will probably ask you what material you use. But almost no one would immediately assume that you work with clay. And so you use the word ceramist, but then they get confused with potter.
That is why I use the term 'ceramic sculptor' nowadays. I know it sounds a bit pretentious, but people understand this better and won't ask me to make them a series of plates again.

The funny thing is that I don't only make sculptures. For example, I am currently working on a series of boxes, in between I make small ceramic paintings and I have made a whole series of ceramic book covers.
To be honest, there is no better name for this than simply 'ceramist', but it is precisely that name that defines me - at least according to the Dutch dictionaries - as someone who makes pots.

Dutch art in France

From June 16 to September 16 2019, more than 50 Dutch artists will exhibit their work in Préporche, a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.

The exhibition organized by the "Kamergalerie" will consist of photos, paintings, drawings, sculptures and more.

Address: Atelier Préporché: Le Bourg 58360  Préporché Bourgogne

Opening hours: Sunday to Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Spring is here - A new fresh art exhibition

Have you already completed your spring cleaning? Maybe it's time for something new to decorate your walls and cabinets with.

The annual group exhibition at Galerie Stam is the best opportunity to purchase something really beautiful to spice up your room. The exhibition will be officially opened on April 14 (doors open at 02:00 pm) and will run through June 2019.

About Galerie Atelier Stam
This gallery is known for the broad range of artists they represent and the wide variety of materials and genres in which they work.

TNT by Niqui Kommerkamp - ceramic box, 11 x 11 x 16 cm

Galerie Atelier Stam
Prinsengracht 356
1016 JA Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. (Free entrance)

Christmas Art Sale 2018

During the weekend of December 15 and 16, a special exhibition will be held at WG Kunst in Amsterdam; more than 100 works of art by more than 100 artists are offered for 100 euros each. Drawings, paintings, graphics, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, glassware and more. Free entrance.

Address: Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 28 Amsterdam

More information: wgkunst@wgkunst.nl  *  +31 (0)20 6161515

Obscure Art

Camera obscura basically means 'dark room', but in this case it refers to a simple device; a box with a simple tiny opening (a pinhole) with which photos can be taken, therefore also known as a 'pinhole camera'.
This device is far from a modern invention. Apart from Leonardo Da Vinci who describes it in his notebooks, even Aristotle understood the optical principle of the camera obscura.

In the 17th century it was a fairly popular aid for painters to help them to project an image. It was only from the first half of the 19th century that people began to use them in combination with photosensitive materials to take photographs. Nowadays it is mainly used in art projects or to entertain, either by building or by using one.

I've always wanted to build one myself. It took a while, but I think it was worth it.

@niquikommerkamp

What a relief

When a colleague asked me to build her a website to show off her work online, all I knew was that she made beautiful bronzes, paintings and scrolls. In her studio, however, I also discovered a good number of beautiful reliefs. And I fell in love immediately.

Relief by Victorine Loomans

Her work radiates vitality, movement and sensuality. Looking at it makes me happy and that is what art should do; generate emotion of any kind.

Do yourself a favor and visit her website here.

Invitation

New website

I know. An artist website is never finished, but I'm actually quite happy with it.
You're more than welcome to visit my site, so what are you waiting for? Click, click, click!

Ceramic whistles

You’ll find ancient folk instruments all around the world. The best-known instruments were flutes, whistles, and ocarinas of clay. These instruments were often decorated with symbolic figures, and were generally stylized to resemble animals, metaphysical entities, or people.
There are whistles and ocarinas representing ocelots, iguanas, frogs, chameleons, crickets, turtles, parrots and a great number of other birds. These ancient instruments can generate extraordinary sounds depending on their shape and size

Nowadays you can still learn to make these wind instruments. The Mexican artist Osvaldo Padrón for example, has a broad experience as a teacher (both in Mexico and The Netherlands) and makes wind instruments that are rooted in the tradition of the pre-Hispanic culture of the Aztec in Mexico.

Like to make your own ceramic flute?
On November 11th & December 9th, 2017 Osvaldo organizes the workshop 'Ceramic Flutes' that will take place at Keramiek Atelier Patty Schilder, located in the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  There are only a few places left, so be quick to sign up here.

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Keramiek Atelier Patty Schilder

Lijnbaansgracht 102 bg, 1016 KT Amsterdam

www.pattyschilder.nl • keramiek@pattyschilder.nl

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Untouchable

Bronze Shield - Ceramic wall object by Niqui - 48 x 25 x 10cm

Ceramics Exhibition

Google Maps

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Opening hours: Wednesday - Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm

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The flight of Ikaros

Imagine.

Imagine escaping by 

simply spreading your wings 

and letting yourself be 

carried away by the wind.

Going higher and higher, 

seeing the world below you 

getting smaller and smaller.

Unaware of the danger. 

Deaf to the advise not 

to fly too close to the sun.

Imagine the intense heat. 

The smoldering wings. 

The flames. 

The fall.

Imagine.

Ikaros • ceramic wall object by Niqui Kommerkamp • 53 x 27 x 7 cm

This wall object will be exhibited at Gallery Stam as from May 21, 2017.

Address: Prinsengracht 356, 1016 JA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Sundaymorning@ekwc

I've just visited the European Ceramic Work Centre in Oisterwijk (The Netherlands) where I joined a guided tour.

The EKWC is an artist-in-residence centre and a centre of excellence where about 60 artists, designers and architects are annually welcomed to experiment with ceramics for a continuous or phased period of three months.

Currently there are staying 15 artists from all over the world. They all have their own individual room (including a bed, a bathroom, and desk) as well as their own spacious studio with the most advanced equipment to work in. And because the studios and workshops are 24/7 available it's possible for the artists to work as long and as late as they want.

The centre also offers the support of a team of specialists that gives a unique added value to the residency as 75% of the participants have no or little experience with ceramics.

In addition to all this Sundaymorning@ekwc also encourages its participants to conduct research in not only artistic and technical fields, but also in the area of presentation.

And last but not least the centre works together with art academies, the ceramic industry, several scientific research centres, museums and galleries in the form of special projects.

Interested?
You'll find more information on their website.

Art against Trump

The inauguration of Trump as president of the United States has left many people shocked and uneasy. Lately artists worldwide are becoming more and more vocal about Trump.
WG Kunst agrees that it’s time for action. They’ve called upon artists to respond to Trump in the form of a work of art.

More than 20 artists have responded and created an artistic statement. It will be a varied exhibition in which various disciplines are showcased. There will be paintings, drawings, cartoons, three-dimensional work, stories, and poems.

Address:
Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 28, 1054 SP Amsterdam.

Opening hours: 
Saturday, February 25 from 01:00 to 05:00 pm
Sunday,   February 26 from 01:00 to 05:00 pm

More about this exhibition in the Dutch newspaper Het Parool > go to article

New Year's Exhibition

Happy new year!

The annual group exhibition at Gallery Stam will be officially opened on Sunday, February 5 at 3:30 pm (doors open 2:00 pm).

Participating artists this year include: Patrick van der Linde, Marije van Wieringen, Cécile ter Borgh, Luurd van der Dussen, Jenny van Gimst, Jan Jaap Stigter, Niqui Kommerkamp, Iša Ondráček, Monica Sandell, Matthijs Stam, Adriana Schuurman and John Stikvoort.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. (Free entrance)

Christmas Art Sale

During the weekend of December 17 and 18, a special exhibition will be held at WG Kunst in Amsterdam; more than 100 works of art by more than 100 artists are offered for 100 euros each. Drawings, paintings, graphics, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, glassware and more. Free entrance.

Address: Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 28 Amsterdam (show on map)
More information: wgkunst@wgkunst.nl | +31 (0)20 6161515


In het weekend van 17 & 18 december 2016 zijn meer dan honderd kunstwerken van ruim honderd kunstenaars voor honderd euro per stuk te koop bij WG Kunst, Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 28 Amsterdam (Wilhelmina Gasthuisterrein).
Kopers kunnen het kunstwerk na betaling meteen meenemen. Op de vrijgekomen plek wordt direct een ander kunstwerk geplaatst. Zo is sprake van een telkens wisselende tentoonstelling.

Meer informatie: wgkunst@wgkunst.nl | www.wgkunst.nl | 020 6161515