More Pop-up

Following up on my previous post "pop-up galleries in vacant space" here are a couple more. It's great to see that not all retail space is turning into Outlet Stores during the crisis but that also young and upcoming creative talent gets a chance to rent or borrow vacant space. Curious to see what the city is going to look like come Autumn. Everybody, please send me a line if you see more popping-up in Utrecht (or Amsterdam)

Fashionmania.nl on the Nobelstraat

Probably the most popped-up typography on the windows so far. Splashed on hand-drawn type, red paint directly on the windows. This looks really improvised, also the inside looks relatively improvised and the style is truly Popped. This is an online fashion-shop (not a gallery) testing the waters in the real world of brick and mortar retail. They can stay for a limited amount of time in this former take-away (read my previous post on Stamppot-to-go here)

DepARTmentstore at Springweg
the temporary art- and lifestyle shop DepARTmentstore had closed it's doors by the time I arrived, probably the reason it looked a bit empty, empty shelves say enough. Around christmas they had a space on the Plompetorengracht in the CBKU  (read my post here on Affordable Art) this time around the approach seems more stylized, less  abundant and crazy. What's left to see is furniture, plump in proportion a mix between 50's retro and country-style. The country zest really comes through in the proportion and simplicity of the pieces. It's spiced up with some colour-ful and semi-abstract paintings. This style is not immediately recognizable as pop-up it looks more like a regular gallery, the other pop-ups that I have been visiting have an energy and vibe to them that I'm missing here (perhaps because I was too late....) Looking forward to the next one, please let me know when and where!

Pop-up galleries in Vacant Space

The economic crisis is giving creativity a chance. Just this month in Utrecht there are at least 4 pop-up galleries all occupying space that would normally have been rented out to profitable retail. But right now these spaces are vacant, and meanwhile young and upcoming gallerist can borrow them for free and create contemporary exhibitions. All these gallery-owners are young starters, they have a  permanent presence online and across social media, and then pop into real life when space becomes vacant and available. They all favor a gallery style that is informal, on occasion turn their galleries into a social and convivial space and favor local artists. Approachable art with a low threshold, which is decorative it's easy to imagine how it would embellish your home.

Fred & Guus on the Nachtegaalstraat 29
This is not just a temporary gallery it's a hang-out. The space is full of artistic work of over 25 local upcoming artists, next to the exhibition the gallery also houses events like high-tea, live-art, workshops, theater, bands and readings. By organizing events the gallery makes a connection to people, they create a hang-out, a place where people spend time, to involve people in art and there are many novice collectors amongst the buyers.

Bedford in Jansveld
Open for a month for the second time. Bedford is one of the newest galleries and a personal experiment of the two owners. A nice quirky mix of illustrations and photography, with the necessary dose of shoppable fashion accessories.

these illustrations will be published later this year in a children's book

"oh you simple things" by aleks pietrzykowska
super-cool necklaces in laser-cut plexiglass

Pop-up gallery NL, Domstraat
This gallery is housed on a absolute top-location right beneath the Dom. Clearly a gallery that has it primary existence online, URL in capitals on the facade, cool-dude hanging behind his laptop. The collection inside is a little bit more of a mix, less clear, and again with in a fine balance between art and design; quirky and particular little wanna-haves that would make your living room look special.

lamp by Beemeubels.nl

Poetry bowls by Jacueline Tijssen

Affordable art for Christmas

Art is fighting back by becoming affordable, that's what you could start thinking when you notice how the artistic sector is trying to enter the gifting market around Sinter Klaas and Christmas. We all know the traditional Christmas markets where you can buy traditional Christmas items and presents. This year Utrecht housed at least 3 staged artistic Christmas markets. Collectives of artists and designers coming together to expose in a temporary gifting gallery. Characteristic is the large amount of small and affordable items, affordable gifts, and it's not all visual arts, there is lots of semi-utilitarian and quirky items for the interior and wardrobe. There are also modern takes on Christmas items, like contemporary takes on the Christmas tree etc. (see my previous post on Utrechts creative markets around Whit weekend)

DepARTmentSTORE in the CBKU, Plompetorengracht 4, Kunst doet goed.
The CBKU housed a clear exhibition, with great curation resulting in a curious collection of interesting yet accessible art and design. Nice little things that you could easily imagine having at home adding an artistic touch to your interior or wardrobe. Some items where of course a little more outspoken, which made a good contrast. I believe it was mostly local (Utrecht) artists and designers which was also a great achievement.

Stitch-hacked furniture by Decodel

gallery impression

still-life and upcycled bench

Kerstboom Uit het beste resthout gesneden door http://www.gebroedersbosma.nl/

contemporary embroidery

De Super de Kunst, Tractieweg, 25-27th of November.
Perhaps the most artistic market, or contrary to what the name may make you think the least commercialized one, it felt most like the Atelier-route. The pop-up Art-Supermarket took place in a big industrial hall had been transformed into something vaguely resembling a supermaket making use of industrial scale scaffolding to create boots for the individual artists, some of them coming from other parts of the county. There was also space for some Christmas coziness with gluhwein and cookies.

Stairway to Heaven by http://www.gebroedersbosma.nl/

Toffe Peer by http://www.iliasernst.nl/

Cash & Carry @ Kunstliefde, Nobelstraat, geef eens kunst kado. As the name suggests the art can be carried away immediately upon paying. The exhibition is advertised to be housing professional artists and the level of the work seems quite high. Mostly visual arts, no utilitarian items. This gallery has been having a Christmas sales exhibition since 2002.

Pop-up Lab

Pop-up seems to have taken a new turn. Or have come back to its guerilla roots perhaps? At least my short-term memory tells me about all the (big) brands that have taken advantage of pop-up to create some buzz for their brands. See the Nivea pop-up now already running for 5 years in Milan etcetc. Also some elitist brands like Prada (foundation) hijacked pop-up and turned into artist elitist  shops in the middle of nowhere or starchitect designed circulating pavilions. But here's the new Pop-up, a testing lab for young entrepreneurs or maybe just even people that want to test if their hobby and passion holds up for real business. What also characterizes these young entrepreneurs; they generate interest and promote their business using Facebook . It's for free, and much less difficult than creating a real website. In their shops you find a special mix of niche-brands of all sorts, music, fashion, art, interior alike. It's almost as if this is a personal fingerprint of their own taste. They create these ideas and places because they feel that something is missing, what they like is not there, they respond by making it available.

Wood-Wood pop-up store in Voorstraat, Utrecht

The two girls; Klijs and Boon have kick-started their Nordic fashion-shop with a summer trial-sales of the brand WoodWood. The theme of this temporary summer shop is Cardboard, and it's all over. Firstly it makes it look like the shop is there just for a moment, and that's also what it says on the posters and flyers. It gives the shop that temporary, ephemeral character of just-here-right-now, gone-in-a-sec. It also makes it look as if we had just walked into a factory sale, goods have just been delivered, straight out of the boxes, prices must be affordable a bit like a solde-de-presse in Paris. Lastly it's of course a cheap way of making a creative interior design. And praise to the girls here, it is very creative, just take a look at these pictures.

By the way the shop will not end in August as they say it will continue, they will expand the brands they carry; Acne and Henrik Vibskov will be part of the collection. They will be different from the rest of Utrecht fashion retail by having a younger target (by comparison Zolamanola is somewhat older) the brands and collections will reflect a Nordic lifestyle, and there will be an edge of androgyny to it. Or Boyfriendslook. Or Tomboys, as they aim at making the same stuff available for both girls and boys.

B E D F O R D
open for just one month, the two people who run the initiative took holidays or gave themselves evening-shifts for one month in order to be able to run it. They managed to run 4 different shows during that period, each with an opening on friday night of an artist duo, of course with a grand opening party with music and drinks. The music / DJ offers his mix on Mixtapes @ Soundcloud.com. In Bedford art, music and fashion comes together in a curated match. Besides from the art-duo-exhibition there is also a store that offers furniture, books, t-shirts and edgy fashion. Bedford perfectly illustrates the idea of creative entrepreneurship. It curates the space to a personal idea of what is their extraordinary menu, everything offered is creative, edgy and off the beaten path, but's still pop and comprehensible enough to be just cool, you would instantly want to wear that or house that in your living-room to be cool too.

 

Cupboards by Jifke Heijster

Hannekes boom
suddenly one day it was there, it looks like it has been constructed in an overnight hurry. Just as you would raise an illegal construction on an abandoned lot. But Hannekes Boom is not in a random place it occupies a corner of the Eastern harbor of Amsterdam where boats have been harboring since 1662.  it might look temporary, but it's there to stay, for at least five years I have been told.
The building and all the interior has been constructed using salvaged material, urban debris. Though some of it looks more like it came from the beach. It's all very slammed together and a patchwork of what almost seems random materials. The bar-chairs are 3 beer-crates held together with a roadstrap, and raw treetrunks seem to be carrying the roof. There are rough edges a plenty here, artistic graffiti illustrations decorating the toilet-doors, and Hannekes praises itself to be the new cultural hotspot. On the website Hannekes talks a lot about the history of the place as well as the authentic food. Last I must say was a bit of a disappointment.

Coffee pop-up

I saw this nice coffee kiosk, espresso on wheels, coffee pop-up shop in Gent on a central square. Quite awesome that also coffee can be put into a little van and sold on-the-go. The little coffee kiosk is completely packed with products such as special coffees and taste-makers as liquors and caramels. By the way they also make hot chocolate and teas.