The year is 2025 and KunstRAI is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year! This is not only a time to look back on the history of this iconic fair, but also to reflect on four decades of contemporary art in The Netherlands! In this article we take you on a journey through the years, starting with the period 1985-1995.
1985-1995
The 1980s and early 1990s were a time of great social change, and the art world was no different. During this period, a large number of artists’ initiatives were founded, often by young artists who did not have or did not want access to the Dutch art market. These artists resisted the selection methods of museums and galleries, which did not know or dare to react to the constant changes in contemporary art at the time. Moreover, from an emancipatory or political point of view, these artists often wanted nothing to do with this art market. This led to a wave of creativity that was not restricted by the traditional frameworks of the art world. The squatting movement played an important role in this. Old factories, empty buildings and squatted spaces were transformed into cultural hotbeds. They became places where artists could not only work and exhibit, but also live. Gallery Aorta, in the squatted Algemeen Handelsblad building, is a good example. Founder Peter Giele lived with his then-wife in a homemade summer house made of wood and glass. Bart van de Ven simply invited his artist friends to exhibit in his living room (The Living Room), and Ad de Jong squatted a former theatre on Warmoesstraat, where he founded W139, which still exists today. In this way, the public could not only see the final product, but also get a behind-the-scenes look at the creation process, which narrowed the gap between the artist and the public. Important artists at the time were Sandra Derks and Rob Scholte. Two young artists who decided to live together and began to create paintings that interacted with each other. They chose 64 colouring pictures to colour in their own way, not only colouring inside and outside the lines, but also changing the meaning of the lines. What began as a ‘childish’ activity evolved into an impressive 44 square metre artwork, ‘ROM87’.
Peer Veneman, PH II, 2018 mixed media 65x60x28 cm // PH III, 2018 mixed media 62x40x24cm
The Living Room, KunstRAI 2019
1995-2005
In Amsterdam, the squatting movement not only helped to establish artists’ initiatives, but was also closely involved in pirate radio and television. This gave rise to a hacker scene that experimented extensively with the Internet, leading to the emergence of digital art. Unfortunately, much of this art took place outside the museum circuit, so much of it has not been preserved, or has been poorly preserved. The Netherlands has played a crucial role in the rise of digital culture because it was the first country to have access to the Internet, after the United States. A digital infrastructure emerged early on, and there was a lot of experimentation with this new form of Internet art. One of the most notable Dutch artists of this period was Debra Solomon, whose work gave The Netherlands an international reputation in digital art. With her work ‘the_living’ (1997-1998), Solomon already demonstrated the possibilities of online communication. Visitors could watch performances in a chat box and interact with her digital persona, making it seem as if she was actually in the chat box.
There were also artists who focused on the consumer society. They too broke with traditional art traditions and high aesthetics. Instead of rejecting consumer society, they understood its mechanisms and knew how to use them in their work. Each artist represented his or her own company and used their creativity to keep the market in thrall.
2005-2015
The period 2005-2015 was characterised by a paradox: a time of crisis and, at the same time, of boom. The global economic crisis that began in 2008 had a profound impact on the art world. Severe cuts in government spending, combined with the economic crisis, led to a decline in the visibility of Dutch artists. The art world was also confronted with the fragility of the Dutch art infrastructure, which consisted mainly of small galleries and artists’ initiatives. These institutions were often insufficiently funded and organised to cope with the effects of the crisis. Despite this, there were still a number of Dutch artists in the top 1,000 most exhibited artists in the world, including Marlene Dumas, Rineke Dijkstra, Erik van Lieshout and Erwin Olaf. Marlene Dumas is still one of the most important and influential painters today. Dumas makes paintings and drawings of enormous emotional content and controversial subjects, while at the same time reflecting on contemporary painting and art. She references art historical motifs and current political issues. And Erik van Lieshout makes drawings, installations, collages, photographs, videos and installations in which he combines all these art forms. With his art he mainly focuses on contemporary socio-political issues. He does this from a personal perspective by placing himself in this environment.
Rineke Dijkstra, signed and dated 19992000 verso framed C-print photo, 180 x 150 cm
Rueb Modern and Contemporary Art, KunstRAI 2017
2015-2025
The period 2015-2025 shows a profound shift in the art world, where art is increasingly linked to social issues such as racism, climate change and political struggles. Art is no longer seen as purely aesthetic, but as a powerful tool for awareness and change. The rise of social media has made the world smaller, leading to the discovery of a wealth of art outside the Western tradition. Non-white artists and members of the LGBTQI+ community found their voice, critiquing the structural exclusion of their culture and history in the dominant white art history. This shift led to a wave of innovative art, with a growing focus on the visibility of artists of colour and from the queer community, as well as women artists. Indeed, the art of women artists remained underrepresented even in museums and galleries. But museums have begun to adjust their acquisition policies to give more space to diverse perspectives.
An important artist at the moment is Raquel van Haver, an artist from Bogotá who now lives and works in Amsterdam. Van Haver creates striking paintings that show the connections between different groups of people, both local and international. What makes her work special is the use of different materials such as oil paint, charcoal, resin, tar and even hair and ash. The work ‘Untitled’ at the Amsterdam Museum shows a group portrait of activists, artists, students, historians and philosophers fighting against institutional racism. This monumental painting brings together different parts of the black community, from hip-hop to LGBTQI+, and is one of the stories of pro-black activists, with more to come.
Left picture: Almichael Fraay, KunstRAI 2021