Positions Berlin

After showing at Paper Positions in April, next week we’re heading for the first time to POSITIONS Berlin, the major art fair held at the former Tempelhof Airport.

We’re presenting three distinctive artists: J. de Konink, Daan Rietbergen, and Iver Uhre Dahl.
And for anyone in Berlin next week or those who know art lovers there, we have free tickets available.

Here’s a closer look at the three artists:

J. de Konink

‍

J. de Konink was the first artist to exhibit in the renovated gallery in June 2023. Her paintings are raw, passionate, monumental, and expressive.

After a successful career as a fashion designer and stylist, De Konink chose to dedicate the rest of her life to painting. The bold application of oil paint and her confident brushwork convey a sense of urgency—an artist making up for lost time. Since 2017, she had been experimenting with raw canvas and embroidery layered in impasto oil, which brought a lighter tone and sharpened the rough intensity of her style. In her newest work, those additions have disappeared. She has developed a new visual form—one that carries that sharpness from within.

De Konink lives and works in Den Bosch.

‍

Iver Uhre Dahl

Iver Uhre Dahl (1995, Norway) has had a passion for wood since early childhood. You can see this clearly in his work. He started at the art academy in Oslo, but wood became truly "his" material at the KABK in The Hague, where he graduated in 2022. Uhre Dahl’s sculptures, primarily made from linden wood, are symbolic figurations focused on the human body. His pieces are tactile and literally touchable. The soft, warm tones of his wooden forms offer an exciting contrast to the direct, mercilessly zoomed-in motifs and figures. Although the sculptures are modest in size, they carry considerable impact. In 2023, Uhre Dahl already participated in our exhibition Over de Grens, alongside four other young artists who came to the Netherlands to study at the art academy.

Daan Rietbergen

Daan Rietbergen (1988, Netherlands) is fascinated by the alphabet, continually transforming letters and typography into abstract forms. He explores scale and the architectural qualities of letters. Rietbergen’s letterforms and typographic experiments are often based on a strict grid, with the rules he sets for himself taking precedence over readability. Upon closer inspection, Daan’s meticulous craftsmanship becomes clear. His incredibly steady and precise handwork is highlighted by visible pencil lines that add vitality to his letter paintings. He regards his letters as living, individual characters capable of standing alone but also of forming a cohesive family. Daan Rietbergen previously participated in our exhibition Zwart op Wit and joined us at the art fairs Art The Hague and Art in Paper Amsterdam.

‍

Meanwhile at the gallery: COLOURED PENCIL

‍
On Saturday, August 31, we had another vibrant opening for the Works on Paper IV exhibition, COLOURED PENCIL. Emeritus Professor Paul van den Akker introduced the phenomenon of coloured pencils, the artists, and their works to a large audience. The exhibition showcases many surprising and original coloured pencil works by leading Dutch and international artists: Sarah Yu Zeebroek (BE), Suzanne Plomp, Maeve van Klaveren, Paul de Reus, Robin Speijer, Paul Klemann, Joline Kwakkenbos, Patricia Paludanus, Peter Miedema, Ninet Kaiser, and Alexandra Duprez (FR). Additionally, we have stunning leporellos by Margriet Oomen. The exhibition runs until September 29 and is open from Friday to Sunday, from 12:00 to 17:30.

‍