15 may 2026, Wouter van den Eijkel
Art Island is celebrating its first anniversary
Art Island is celebrating its first anniversary! The fifth edition will, of course, take place on Forteiland IJmuiden.
From Friday 22 May to Sunday 24 May, you'll find 25 gallery presentations in the island's network of corridors. This anniversary edition also once again features the On Golden Pond performance programme and This Art Fair will be showcasing 17 artists.
Art Island proudly calls itself the most adventurous art fair in the Netherlands. And that's no exaggeration. To visit the fair, you need to travel to IJmuiden and take the ferry to the island. In the island's catacombs, don't expect sleek fair stands with white walls and perfect lighting. Instead, you'll find presentations in vaulted corridors, dormitories and dining halls once occupied by German soldiers during World War II.
Lily van der Stokker, Nothing Fabric, 2025, Galerie van GelderThe relatively modest costs for participants also encourage gallery owners to take greater risks, explains Frits Bergsma, who organises the fair together with Jacko Brinkman. In the past, Galerie van Gelder, for example, presented an enormous cardboard Formula 1 car by Kimball Gunnar Holt. This year, the gallery is bringing a new work by Lily van der Stokker—a bit of a rarity at a Dutch art fair. Borzo is showcasing sculptures by Henk Visch.
Henk Visch, BorzoGalleryWith each new edition, the list of participants is adjusted slightly. Art Island began five years ago as an entirely Amsterdam-based initiative, but since then, its geographical spread has widened. This year, participants include Galerie Livingstone from The Hague, Vivid from Rotterdam and Van den Berge from Middelburg.
There are also a small number of participants who do not deal in contemporary art, but specialise in ethnographic art (Galerie Lemaire), Old Masters (Kunsthandel De Boer) or antique weapons. Haarlem-based Mandarin Mansion specialises in museum-quality antique arms, mainly from China, Japan and other Asian countries. "Mandarin Mansion's offering fits the location perfectly," says Bergsma. "And Peter [Dekker] is a gifted storyteller—a genuine asset to the fair."
On Golden Pond performance programme
Art Island is more than just an art fair. This year, you'll once again be surprised by On Golden Pond, a programme featuring live performances on the ferry, on the island and within the fort. This year's theme is 'Hope'. The programme is once again being curated by Juliette Jongma and performed by Maison Felix Salut x Interlude.
"Hope is not a grand gesture," Jongma states in the press release. "Nor is it a conviction that solves everything or a bright light that dispels all shadows. Hope is smaller, perhaps more wilful. It lies in the ability to keep looking, even when there seems to be little to see. Hope often resides in unexpected places—in what chafes, what is uncertain, what has not yet taken shape. It does not ask for certainty, but for presence. Not solutions, but attention." "Perhaps that is why hope is not a feeling, but a practice. Something you do: to stay, to look, to start again. Not because you know where it will lead, but because you refuse to believe that stagnation is the only answer. And sometimes, that is enough."
Special guest: This Art Fair
The organisers of Art Island learned that This Art Fair would not be taking place this year due to limited financial support and therefore invited it to participate in Art Island instead. This Art Fair will be occupying a separate floor within the fort. Bergsma explains, "This Art Fair is a wonderful initiative and we would regret seeing it disappear due to a lack of support. Which is why we extended this invitation."
The 17 artists are all former participants of This Art Fair and together represent what it stands for: celebrating contemporary art in all its forms. The projects will engage in distinctive ways with the narrow corridors and former gunpowder rooms of the historic island fortress.
Art Island runs from 22 to 24 May on Forteiland near IJmuiden. For tickets, a list of participants and visitor information, visit art-island.nl
The participating galleries that can be found on Gallery Viewer are:
Galerie van Gelder
Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen
Frank Taal Galerie
BorzoGallery
Livingstone Gallery
Galerie Vriend van Bavink
TORCH Gallery
Galerie Van den Berge
Contour Gallery
Special guests of This Art Fair
Hans Wilschut, 'Anamnesis' - Olden, 2026, Galerie van den Berge