By Liza Kerlen

Hi everyone! As of January 2018 I am the new student assistant here at the department of Art and Culture. I am usually running around behind the scenes where you can find me taking minutes, preparing readers or selecting interesting content for this blog! In this blog I will tell you a little bit more about myself and list my 3 favorite cultural hotspots.

I studied Art History and Architecture at Utrecht University, where I specialized in modern and contemporary art with a special focus on aesthetics. Here at the VU I’m enrolled in the ‘Kunst, Markt en Connaisseurschap’ Master’s program, which is all about the art market and (the lost art of) connoisseurship. What I love about this master is that we actively learn to apply our research skills and theoretical knowledge to the contemporary art market practices. I think it is important to see as much as possible, whether it be exhibitions, films or theater shows. Every two years you can find me in Venice for the Biennale and I always try to take at least one trip abroad each year to see what is happing in the art world in different countries. But there are also a lot of great institutions right here in the Netherlands, some of which you can even visit from the comfort of your own couch!

These are my three favorite hotspots:

1. Kunstliefde, situated in the heart of Utrecht you can find this cross-over between a commercial gallery and exhibition space, which also happens to be one of the oldest artists’ associations in the Netherlands! They have a different exhibition on view every month and they always know how to combine upcoming talent with already established artists. You get a good sense of the important trends and themes within our field of studies and it is a great place to discover new talent. On view now: ‘Shameless’, about the strength and vulnerability of the body. The picture in the header of this blogpost is also from this show.

   

2. Public House of Art, located in Het Spiegelkwartier, Amsterdam’s Art and Antiquities neighborhood. The Public House of Art has two themed and carefully curated shows per year where all the artworks are for sale, but they ‘are not a gallery’ (say what?). What I love about this place is that they sell art in different price categories, making art affordable even for students who are on a tight budget but would like to start collecting, such as myself!

   

3. Patty Morgan, an online gallery that represents young and promising artists. They have an online showroom and blog but will soon open a physical gallery in Amsterdam. The inaugural show is February 23^rd and titled ‘Let’s make the world smile again’. It’s about the joy of making art and the joy of looking at art. Sometimes I get too caught up in the academics of art history and lose sight of my love for art, so this show is a must-see for me.

   

4. I know I said I would only give you 3 of my favorite galleries / art spaces / hot-spots but I just couldn’t help myself. I love going to art fairs and this year I am lucky enough that on some trips we are accompanied by one of our teachers, making it an even more interesting experience. This year I’ve already visited the First Art Fair (didn’t love it) and Art Rotterdam (loved it!). But you will also find me at Tefaf, KunstRAI, Unseen Photo Fair (my favorite), Affordable Art Fair and PAN.