16 december 2022, Oscar van Gelderen
The gallery of... Thor Salden, David Vermeiren, Yoeri Vanlangendonck en Beau Stollenwerk
In the section 'The gallery of' we talk to a host of gallerists from the Netherlands and Belgium. When and how did they start their gallery, what has changed in the art world since, what is their gallery’s profile, what do they collect themselves, and what has been the impact of the pandemic on their gallery? This week: Thor Salden, David Vermeiren, Yoeri Vanlangendonck and Beau Stollenwerk, who jointly run PONTI, in Antwerp.
Were you exposed to art growing up? ;
Thor Salden: Neither of my parents showed a great interest in the arts, my dad always had a few books lying around, which occasionally touched on the field of arts.
David Vermeiren: Not at all, it wasn't until I started studying History in Antwerp that I first visited the city’s many museums and came into contact with the art scene, both historical and contemporary. I regularly visited Scheld'apen, which had a fascinating musical program and also regularly organized performances and exhibitions, and other interesting off spaces and galleries.
Yoeri Vanlangendonck: Art and culture were not present in the family I grew up in, but I came into contact with them at an early age, due to a love for history and relics from the past. The romantic idea of 'tangible history', as it were. Soon, I looked up museums, and walking through these gates I literally ended up in another world. I understood the power of art, which is why I still hold the socio-cultural aspect – bringing people from different layers of society together with art as a bonding agent – of our gallery work of paramount importance.
Beau Stollenwerk: My mother often took me to museums and that certainly piqued my interest, but art was rarely discussed at home.
PONTI empty galleryspace
How did you get involved in the art world?
TS: After high school I took a course in art education, but of course there was already interest in this. I was superficially interested in art, but when I started photography something changed for me. At Dé Kunsthumaniora I had several (guest) teachers who managed to trigger me to enrol for further art studies.
DV: After my education, I researched the literary and artistic reception of the mystic Hadewijch in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and I wrote texts for monographs on post-war Belgian abstract artists such as Guy Vandenbranden, Mark Verstockt and Serge Vandercam based on their artist archives, commissioned by the Callewaert-Vanlangendonck Gallery. Afterwards, in collaboration with Johan Pas, I mapped all editions and multiples by Guillaume Bijl with a project grant from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, for a catalogue raisonné (2020) and an exhibition (2017-2020) in the Academy. Through these artists I entered the modern and contemporary art world.
I currently also work as an assistant for artist Koen van den Broek, in this way I also get to know the practice from an artist's studio that collaborates with various international art galleries, and I also participate in museum exhibitions by Koen van den Broek. A huge challenge and an educational experience!
YV:While studying history , I collected sixteenth- and seventeenth-century graphics and nineteenth-century photographs of Antwerp, which led me to antiquarian shops in Mechelen and Antwerp, including the Antwerp gallerist Paul Verbeeck, an eclectic antiques dealer where you can find Ensor prints as well as modern art. Gradually my gaze shifted to the avant-garde of the 1920s and 1930s and it was only a small leap to arrive at the Belgian avant-garde of the 1950s, of which many protagonists were still alive ten years ago. I contacted the Antwerp constructivist Guy Vandenbranden and we became friends. It is through that defining friendship across generations that I got a foothold in the art world. Guillaume Bijl and Koen van den Broek also noticed me early on and took me into the contemporary scene. For several years I wanted to set up a gallery for contemporary artists, in order to give a platform to starting artists and to grow with them as a coach. I found a companions to realize this dream with Thor, David and Beau.
BS: By having many friends who study or have studied at the academy, and by the multitude of galleries in Antwerp, it is easy to end up in that world. My friendship with Yoeri also brought me into the art world.
Clara Lissens, I Am You
What was your first job at a gallery? Or did you immediately start your own gallery?
YV: I started Callewaert Vanlangendonck during my last year studying history at university and I have since been active in the art world for over ten years. So I've never actually had a job other than that of a gallery owner/art collector. As a student I was attendant for the Flemish Opera. And with PONTI I add an extra and exciting chapter to my existence as a gallerist.
DV: Like I said before, I did research at the University of Antwerp and later at KASKA, and wrote several monographs about the generation of post-war abstract artists.
TS: We once got a wildcard with a lot of friends to organize an exhibit for a month in the old Handelsbeurs in Antwerp. There we showed works by Bendt Eyckermans under the collective name '720 Hours'.
How would you describe your gallery’s profile?
TS:PONTI mainly focuses on what is happening in the now. As a starting gallery, we can still explore the fringes and present a sharp mix in this way. I think all four of us are extremely ambitious and like to play more internationally. I think our ambitions extend beyond our national borders.
DV: We want to work together with a few young artists on an international trajectory in order to grow together and build bridges between artists and between artists and the public.
YV: PONTI wants to be an open gallery where everyone is welcome. No stiff vernissages where it revolves around networking for s; rather, it is about being an extension of the artist’s interior world and placing beautiful things in the outside world.
BS: As a breeding ground for young artistic talent, where there is also room for experimentation.
Emma Verhulst, Jan Laroy
What do you think is the best part about being a gallerist?
TS: The run up to exhibitions are my favourite, everyone is working together under a healthy dose of stress. Actually, installing the exhibition … other than that I don't think we can really complain. After my favourite, everything is tied for second place.
YV: Like Thor, I really like installing a show because you enter into a dialogue with the artist and translate his/her world to a wider audience. Contacts with artists, interested parties and collectors are paramount to me. You learn every moment and often come into contact with unexpected people or circumstances.
DV: It is indeed the in-depth contacts and reflections with the artists that form the core of the gallerist profession. There must be a personal connection, otherwise cooperation is not obvious or even impossible.
BS: Taking visitors along in our programming and thus building a bridge between young visitors, collectors and artists themselves.
Ken Verhoeven
Which national or international galleries do you feel an affinity with?
TS: In Antwerp I especially look up to Tim Van Laere Gallery and TICK TACK. I think they both show art at a very high level and I often like to go there a second or third time. Internationally, I look up to Ruttkowski68 and JVDW in Düsseldorf.
YV: For obvious reasons: Callewaert Vanlangendonck. Also with De Zwarte Panter, because Adriaan Raemdonck always has an eye for the socio-cultural importance of a gallery. Internationally, I would like to see us grow into a gallery such as Ron Mandos, Greta Meert or Xavier Hufkens. It should not be too big, but with a grand view of the world.
DV: I agree with the above choices.
BS: Sorry we're closed is a favourite of mine, and we also maintain good contacts with Pizza Gallery.
Ken Verhoeven
In an ideal world, which artist would you most like to represent?
TS: Stephan Keppel, Walter Swennen and Leo Gabin. Or Ed Ruscha… I could go on and on, but I am especially curious about what else we are working towards with our artists.
YV: Yves Klein and Manzoni and the Belgian artists Luc Tuymans, Koen van den Broek and Fred Bervoets.
DV: Since I attach great importance to the personal connection within collaborations, I want to limit myself to artists that I know personally. Hence the artists that PONTI now represents plus Koen van den Broek.
BS: Dittmar Viane can always call me!
What has changed in the art world since you first embarked on this journey?
YV: I think I've changed a lot myself through my contacts with artists and collectors, you grow along with your artists, so to speak. Of course, you do see trends such as the 'digitization' of the art world. Since the pandemic, the art world also seems to be folding back more locally, on the other hand, Instagram provides a wide view.
Xander Faes, Witold Vandenbroeck
What/whose work do you collect personally?
TS: At the moment I mainly have work hanging at home by young Antwerp artists: Ian De Weerdt, Floris Van Look, Viktor Mattson, Stijn Ter Braak, Judit Kristensen, Dirk Braeckman, Bendt Eyckermans, Laurens Legiers, Shirley Villavicencio Pizango, Emma Verhulst, Witold Vandenbroeck Dane Peters.
YV: I have works at home by Belgian abstract artists, including Guy Vandenbranden, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Walter Leblanc, Bram Bogart, contemporary work by the artists we represent with PONTI, but also by Nadia Naveau, Fred Bervoets, Koen van den Pants and Renato Nicolodi.
DV: Since Yoeri is my partner, we share this collection. I would like to add: Witold Vandenbroek, Jef Meyer, Manu Engelen, Emma Verhulst, Marcel De Cleer and Guillaume Bijl.
BS: Witold Vandenbroek, Daan Peeters… I try to build my own collection around artists from the gallery and I also occasionally make my own discoveries at the galleries of colleagues.
Art on Paper Brussels, 2022
Has the pandemic changed how you view the art world?
YV: Since Covid-19, I have attached even more importance to bringing people together, experiencing art collectively during a vernissage or during a good conversation. PONTI was also created just after two years of corona to provide a platform to a new generation of artists who, among other things, have not yet found a place within the art scene due to the pandemic.
DV: It is true that we wanted to offer a platform with PONTI to the generation of young artists who were unable to make direct contact with a potential audience for two years. Furthermore, I am convinced that the role of social media, and especially Instagram for visual artists, has become of ever-more important. To such an extent that the direct – unfiltered – contact between a viewer and a work of art, which I believe is a crucial experience, comes under pressure. The role of museums and galleries is therefore indispensable!
Art on Paper Brussel, 2022
