Fat Convertible. Erwin Wurm. 2019
ARTZUID, the Amsterdam Sculpture Biennale is my favorite art exposition in the world. It’s a free outdoor exhibition in the park surrounding Apollolaan and Minervalaan neighborhoods of Amsterdam with 50 sculptural works by established international artists as well as young upcoming artists. This year’s edition includes works by Jean Dubuffet, David Hockney and Robert Indiana. The sculptural pieces are fun, whimsical, playful, colorful and often leaves one to contemplate on the intent of the artist in the creation process. These works are meant to draw and engage young visitors to the exhibition.
According to Jasper Krabbé, curator of Artzuid 2023, “Art connects. We would like to involve young people in the plan. Many are struggling and art can be an antidote to the current polarisation, extreme individualisation and the uncertainty fuelled by social media. I hope that at ARTZUID we can reach young people through the influences of street art, neo-pop art and graffiti and offer them a place, literally a place, by creating hangouts and a graffiti wall, among other things.” Press release from Artzuid Sculpture Biennale, March 30, 2023. artzuid.nl
It’s the second time I’ve attended ARTZUID and I can say that it’s worth the trip to Amsterdam. Here are some of the works from ARTZUID 2023.
New World. Ronald A. Westerhuis. 2022 (in the background)
So_what. Monika Dahlberg. 2023 (front)
Seduction 2.0. Marjolein Witte. 2023.
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Tour aux récits. Jean Dubuffet. 1973-2007 |
Apollo Offering. Arman. 1994
Mud. Erik Buijs. 2023
Galileo’s Table. Julian Schnabel. 1989.
Omarming met Elfenbankjes. Carla Rump. 2021
Korte poten. Klaas Gubbels. 2023
Black Stove 1. Sterling Ruby. 2014
Flag. Carolyn Coolen. 2010
BMW Art Car. David Hockney
Der Krieger. Daniel Spoerri. 2011
Daion. Savako. 2020
Soulmate. Marjolijn Mandersloot. 2017
Frankey zet ARTZUID op z’n kop. Frankey. 2023
Pappel (blau, ulme). Stefan Pietryga. 2019
Lupine Honeycomb. Arne Quinze. 2021
Book of boredom. Ida Ekblad. 2022
Punktrabant. Olaf Mooij. 2005
Imperial Love. Robert Indiana. 1966-2017.
Selfportrait as Landscape. Carolyn Coolen. 2006
Spirit. Piet van de Karr. 2023
Untitled. David Annesley. 1969
The Journey. Carin Scholten. 2023
Na Bika Tu Na Fo. Marcel Pinas. 2023
Transfer. Papa Adama. 2023
Link to my article about Artzuid 2021:
How to get to the Apollolaan/Minervalaan:
Uber from Leidseplein to Apollolaan in front of the Hilton is approximately 11 euros. Or tram #24 from Central Station. Check rome2rio.com for transport options and/or reisinfo.gvb.nl for tram information. For the map of the exhibition route, check artzuid.nl
Where to eat:
Oresti's Taverna
Overtoom 5-h, 1054 HA Amsterdam
Serves Spanish tapas, Greek mezze, Italian antipasti and salads. I especially found the parmesan encrusted eggplant and the garlic chicken surprisingly delicious and my friends voted for the Moroccan chicken and spanakopita.