On Saturday, May 3rd, KunstRAI focused on (emerging) art professionals. The programme featured artists, gallery owners, collectors, and other art professionals, each offering a unique perspective on the field, often bringing innovative and inspiring contributions to the world of contemporary art.
1.00 pm – 1.45 pm Panel talk: The value of art
In the panel, we explore what role art can play in making visible the often invisible systems around money, property and inequality. This goes beyond the familiar functions of art (aesthetics, criticism, agenda-setting) and asks: how does art help us think about value, wealth and the impact of money on everyday life?
The speakers are Job Kühlkamp (the NUT), Mart Veldhuis (artist/illustrator) and Esther Koch either Hans Bos (KochxBos Gallery) with moderator Adinda van Wely.
Galerie KochxBos, will present at KunstRAI the impressive installation Wealth Shown to Scale . An installation that explores the subtle but confrontational relationship between money, social inequality and human dignity. The installation invites visitors to step into a space transformed into a tangible representation of economic inequality.
During the KunstRAI, Galerie Larik will present in collaboration with Het NUT the art project Andermans Schuld. Created in collaboration with illustrator/artist Mart Veldhuis, who sold his tapestry for the amount of his student debt. They extended this idea into the Andermans Schuld project where works were created by Veldhuis based on stories of people in debt. With the idea of paying off these debts.
2.30 pm – 3.15 pm Paneltalk: Trendsetters, hosted by Young Collectors Circle
Curious about the trends currently shaping and directing the art world? During this panel talk at KunstRAI, hosted by the Young Collectors Circle, you’ll gain insight into the latest developments in contemporary art. Gallerists and artists will share their observations – and their vision for the future.
The art world is constantly evolving, with changes following each other in rapid succession, only to make way for the next trend. Themes shift, boundaries between disciplines blur, and new techniques and presentation forms emerge at a fast pace. What does this say about the times we live in? And where will we be ten years from now?
In this informal discussion, we’ll explore current artistic trends and developments in the art market. What are today’s artists focused on? How is their practice changing – from themes and materials to presentation formats? And what’s happening on the market side? Is the traditional gallery model undergoing transformation, and what new forms of sales and representation are emerging?
The digital component can no longer be ignored. What impact do technology, art platforms, and social media have on the market? Do they really lead to more sales and attract a younger audience – or are they mainly marketing tools? And how is collector behavior evolving – are people looking, buying, and valuing art differently than they did a decade ago?
Whether you’re a collector, an art enthusiast, or simply someone who likes to stay informed about what’s happening in the art world, this is your opportunity to be inspired by experts in the field and take part in an open and engaging conversation.
3.30 pm – 4.15 pm Paneltalk: Art and interior, hosted by De Interieurclub
What if art stopped hanging passively on the wall and actually became part of the interior story? During KunstRAI in Amsterdam, De Interieur Club is organising a panel talk in which art and interior do not complement each other, but challenge each other. No colour on the wall by the sofa, but a sculpture that sets the tone.
Chaired by Mark Timo, founder of De Interieur Club, three influential voices from the world of art, design and interior will enter into a conversation: Niek Schoenmakers, Thomas Eurlings and Natasja Alers. We have some free tickets to be at the panel talk on Saturday.
A talk for anyone who believes that art in the home should not only be seen, but also felt.
Niek Schoenmakers (b. 1989) is a curator and design specialist based in Amsterdam.
He started as a collector, attracted by the stories woven into objects, their historical, artistic and emotional layers, and how these stories can enrich and shape a space. This fascination developed into a career at the intersection of art, design and architecture. With a background in design and architecture studies at TU Delft and the Parsons School of Design in New York, his work includes exhibitions, interiors and storytelling through objects. Before founding his own gallery, Schoenmakers gained experience at Gagosian Gallery in New York and worked in various sectors of the cultural field, including the auction world and editorial positions at design media.
In 2022, he launched The Millen House in Amsterdam, a gallery and platform dedicated to the dialogue between 20th-century design and contemporary art. Schoenmakers focuses on the sculptural and spatial potential of objects and curates layered environments where past and present converge.
Thomas Eurlings (1983) is an interior and product designer based in Amsterdam. He studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven and designs interiors, products and jewellery. His sense of colour and material is the common thread in all his work, both in spatial projects and objects. Besides his design practice, Eurlings works as an art director for a variety of clients. He is a passionate art lover with a special interest in photography and sculpture. His fascination for the often forgotten backsides of portrait busts prompted his first book REVERSE, published by Lecturis publishers in 2024.
Visual artist Natasja Alers (The Hague, 1987) graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, majoring in ceramics, and has lived and worked in Amsterdam, NL, since 2010.
Alers draws inspiration from man’s inner emotional life and vulnerability. Raw emotion and sensuality are fundamental in her imagery, touching on themes of touch, sexuality, feminism and emotions difficult to put into words. Alers applies various techniques, such as making plaster casts of human body parts, which she then assembles into sculptures, vases consisting of nipple prints or toes, wall sculptures, seating objects and installations. Her work can be found in several museums around the world. In her artistic practice, Alers explores the tension of the ‘attraction’ of colourful, sometimes drippy glazes in combination with bodily forms that invite touch, but can also cause discomfort and friction.