Niek Kemps (chairman/voorzitter) has been a part of the international art scene since the eighties. With his conceptual work, he wants to stimulate the spectator to process images in a different way; a statement about the attention span of modern day society and the accompanying image culture. Kemps' work is like a laboratory, wherein he carries out substantial as well as visual research to the social and cultural context, and how this relates to image, space, contemporary art and the concept of "museum".
In his work, sculpture becomes space and space becomes museum. Kemps' images never stand alone; they consistently show a sensitivity in relation to their surroundings, they interact with the space wherein they are located.
The artist challenges the spectators to get out of their comfort zone, to explore the work, and to spend time with/in it. The artwork reveals itself only to the patient, attentive spectator. Every composition is formulated very precisely, like a poem. This form of complexity ensures that the work can never be apprehended at first glance.
By defying fixed landmarks, meanings, perspective and scale, every form of rational analysis is extracted or simply removed. It results in an astonishing artwork that invites to be lived and incites the spectator to reflect one self.
Marlies van Gangelen (secretary/secretaris) is founder of the Dutch experimental ensemble PERFORATOR as well as oboist with the Berlin-based s t a r g a z e . As part of that ensemble she performed with the likes of Terry Riley, Bill Frisell, Bon Iver and Michael Keegan-Dolan. s t a r g a z e is a regular guest at major music festivals and venues as Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie de Paris and Royal Albert Hall London. After receiving her Bachelor's in Classical Oboe, Van Gangelen moved to London to follow a two-year Master's in Leadership at the Guildhall School for Music and Drama (2012).
During this course she focussed on artistic and creative processes in various contexts. She developed skills as composer, artistic leader, improviser and performer. Using unconventional playing techniques and 21st century technology, Van Gangelen produces a broad palette of new musical forms of expression.
Eelko Hamer (treasurer/penningmeester) is an independent creative strategist and innovation expert. Before founding eelko.com he worked for corporates like Bacardi, Philips and KPN. In addition to this, he has worked with startups from the Silicon Valley to Amsterdam. Eelko is experienced in creating marketing and innovation concepts.
His strength lies in identifying that unseen opportunity and then galvanising multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders to make an ambitious project a reality. In 2019, as co-author of the Untourist Guide to Amsterdam, he helped spawn a movement towards a new – more positive – imagining of tourism which made headlines in over 40 countries.
