05 june 2020, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Iwan’s Pick...
In this section we let a selection of art lovers – from occasional buyers to art professionals – talk about their perception of art and preferences: where do they want to see art? Where do they purchase art, and above all: from which artists do they buy? Below, an interview with Iwan Yamin (Account manager at Bralux Travel / Tour Guide, age 46)
What does art mean to you?
In my mind I collect countless artistic images and sounds, which I often use to express my opinions; the skies of William Turner or Jacob van Ruysdael, a Le Corbusier-like building, the exuberant colours of film director Pedro Almodóvar or a Hussein Chalayan-esque winter coat.
Guy Vording, PS Black Pages Vanavond Niet, 2020, galerie dudokdegroot.
Were you exposed to art while growing up?
These are the three most influential people in my artistic development: my dad, he taught me the basics of classical western art and history. Adriaan van der Have - founder of Torch Gallery - because he showed me the way the art world works, and Miguel-Ángel Cárdenas, for sharing his immense passion and love for art.
Where do you read about the latest developments in the art world?
Nowadays, I find all information online. I regularly receive newsletters from museums and galleries in my inbox, for everything else Instagram comes in super handy. In these difficult times of the corona virus, you will find interesting new art buying activities on Instagram, such as #lesamisdesartistes and #artistsupportpledge
Where do you prefer to look at art?
Under normal circumstances, I prefer to admire art in a museum. I find an elaborate exhibition on a certain subject or a retrospective of an artist the most interesting.
Jochen Mühlenbrink, Holz auf Öl (Wood), 2018, Gerhard Hofland.
How often do you buy art each year?
I buy art two to three times a year, and preferably unique works. I only buy photography in small editions and in a limited number of sizes.
Where do you do your buying: in a gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
Sixty percent of what I buy, I buy in galleries, thirty percent at art fairs and ten percent at auctions. By auctions, I mean charity auctions like Amnesty International, YIP (Young In Prison), Unfair and Dead Darlings.
Sven Kroner, Grosse Vitrine, 2020, Galerie Fons Welters.
Is it important that you always agree on a purchase?
I am single, so my collection is mainly built on my taste and experience. The decision to a purchase a work usually takes me a while. Love at first sight is something that rarely happens to me when it comes to art purchases.
Is there a gallery with which you have a special bond?
If I have to mention one: Torch Gallery, because of their outstanding shows, the diverse range of artists and their professional practice. Mo & Valentijn are always welcoming and informative. Other favourite galleries of mine are Martin van Zomeren, Gerhard Hofland, Lumen Travo and Fons Welters.
Teun Hocks, 077. Untitled, 1990, Torch Gallery.
If you had an unlimited budget, who would you buy a work from?
An installation by Anton Henning: including the furniture, the wallpaper and the carpeting. I would like this installation to be part of my home - my dream villa. But I am not that fussy: a painting by Michael Raedecker or a sculpture by Matthew Monahan, both far beyond my budget, are also welcome additions.
Who are your favourite artists?
By combining photography and painting, Teun Hocks creates a different world that is both melancholy, surreal, humorous and alienating.
Guy Vording's collages and cuttings form new exciting, mysterious stories, with bizarre prose.
Ronald de Bloeme is a Dutch artist living in Berlin who creates monumental - and phenomenal - works. I find his works fascinating (as they are full of movement), contemporary (in the choice of colour and use of car paint) and tough (because their monumental size).
Ronald de Bloeme, Untitled (Postes Vietnam), 2002, BorzoGallery.
