There are galleries that sell art, and then there is artRUIM. The difference is in who benefits. Participating artists keep one hundred percent of what they sell, pay no commission and in return are present themselves during opening hours. Visitors thus do not walk past silent white walls, but can simply strike up a conversation with the creator behind the work. That's rarer than you might think.
The collective includes a diverse group of professional visual artists. Henk Adriani works with photography, paintings and mixed media. Caspar Claasen and Tarja Laine paint, Vivien Collingwood makes drawings in addition to paintings. Herman Deen brings sculpture, Dan Gonen textile art, and Jacqueline Steinhoff deals with graphics and linocuts. Colina van Bemmel and Emre Arikan are forming a separate exhibition project called Liquid Myth, in collaboration with Gallery Intussen. Nienke van der Maar and Inge van der Ven are both active as kunstRUIMer, with Van der Ven focusing on mixed media installations.
The gallery sits on Jodenbreestraat, within walking distance of Waterlooplein and the Plantage neighborhood. The entrance is also accessible via Valkenburgerstraat. It is a building in the historic center, but there is no question of museum decency. The atmosphere is accessible, admission free. You can visit Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to five. In addition to the physical space, kunstRUIM also has an online environment where work can be viewed and purchased.
Artists themselves are present during opening hours and explain their work to those who ask.
Also running is the neighborhood program Art in the Neighborhood, with workshops, lectures, short films and music for residents and visitors. A workshop costs a maximum of 3.50 euros, and those with a city pass pay one euro. Artists are present themselves during opening hours and explain their work to those who ask. No brochure, no audio tour. Just the creator himself. That is what kunstRUIM is made of.