Galerie Bart is present at Art on Paper! The art fair is taking place in the industrial-monumental Gashouder at the Westergas in Amsterdam. Work on or made with paper, whether it be pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, watercolor, gouache or collage, often shows the artist in the most spontaneous and artistically free moment. The directness that is connected with this medium brings artist and viewer closer together. In their intimacy and vulnerability, works on or made with paper thrive well with the exclusive attention they receive at a specialized art fair.

Galerie Bart will be showing the newest artworks by Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, Sanne Maloe Slecht and Toni van Tiel.

Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia (1989, TGO) bases his practice on the different characteristics of the essence of matter. By working with a material, Kokou Ferdinand explores and channels its energy. He conciders the history, density and intrinsic values of the material. Thereby he treats it as an agent, acting on its own, being its own thing, and communicating with the viewer and its surroundings. In general, Kokou Ferdinand works on the vernacular character of contemporary art, based on his travel experiences, his artistic training and the traditional Mina culture, situated in the south his home country of Togo.

Sanne Maloe Slecht (1987, NL) plays with the possibilities that the concept of ‘space’ entails. When she paints, she often thinks of concepts such as the multiverse or parallel universes. ‘I am inspired by the idea of multiple, co-existing realities. Or the idea of a reality, that exists out of our sight and has never been observed or discovered by us.’ Besides, she is also interested in the earthly concept of space. How we as humans create space in landscapes, architecture, interior, or during a walk on the beach, in our heads. Space offers possibilities. And this range of possibilities offers a continuous breeding ground for experimentation and playfulness.

Toni van Tiel (1979, NL)  is a sculptor on paper. His works are two-dimensional, but he builds his works up as if the whole public space arises from the paper. In his drawings, he creates monuments, fountains, and roundabouts: sculptures in imaginary public spaces. They exist on paper, and the viewer’s imagination does the rest. Ideas for the drawings come to him intuitively and humour plays a big role in his work. You see an enormous sculpture proposed by Toni in one of his drawings and imagine how the diminutive passersby would gawk at it. Until you realize that these passersby are never present in the drawings. The monuments stand abandoned. For whom where they erected?

Opening hours Art on Paper 2023:

Thursday, March 16 15:00 – 18:00 (private preview) 18:00 – 21:00 (opening)
Friday, March 17 11:00 – 19:00
Saturday, March 18 11:00 – 19:00
Sunday, March 19 11:00 – 19:00 

• More information about Art on Paper.
• More information about Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia • Sanne Maloe Slecht• Toni van Tiel