Standard shapes: Aldo Bakker’s warped jugs go on show at Amsterdam’s Looiersgracht 60
Multidisciplinary Amsterdam art gallery Looiersgracht 60 has dedicated its latest exhibition to the work of Dutch designer Aldo Bakker. 'Containing Content' is a mono-thematic show using the jug as a starting point to explore the designer’s approach to domestic objects and his aesthetic panorama.
The exhibition features five objects, presented on pedestals which were specially developed by Bakker to enhance and complement the form of each, dotted around the gallery's bright industrial space.
Jugs normally take a standard shape, and are expected to have straightforward qualities, explain Looiersgracht 60 directors Soraya Notoadikusumo and Nadine Snijders. These features include being able to hold and protect their content, pour whatever is inside and be refillable – all things that Bakker challenges with his work in shape, puzzling viewers by presenting sculptural objects which can’t be immediately recognised as jugs.
The five pieces were developed by Bakker in collaboration with local makers Jan Matthesius (for the metal objects) and Frans Ottink (for the porcelain). Three of them are shown here for the first time.
The exhibition celebrates Bakker's ability to encourage slowing down and looking at objects with fresh eyes – an approach the gallery directors share with the designer. To give a wider context to his practice, Bakker's sketches are presented alongside the works, unveiling the thought processes behind the objects on show.
ADDRESS
Looiersgracht 60
1016 VT, Amsterdam
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Montblanc’s leather goods evolution offers peak style
Montblanc takes design inspiration from its iconic writing archive for new collections of leather goods
By Simon Mills Published
-
Ray Phoenix to rise in Arizona
Ray Phoenix housing project launches, designed by Johnston Marklee, who worked with Lamar Johnson Collaborative and artist Alex Israel, for property experts Ray and Vela
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The cosmos meets art history in Vivian Greven’s New York exhibition
Vivian Greven’s ‘When the Sun Hits the Moon’, at Perrotin in New York City, is the artist’s first solo exhibition in the USA
By Emily McDermott Published
-
Meredith Monk’s interdisciplinary art sets all the senses singing in Amsterdam show
‘Meredith Monk: Calling’ at Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, is both a series of concerts and a deep-dive into Monk’s eclectic oeuvre
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Heads up: art exhibitions to see in January 2024
Start the year right with the Wallpaper* pick of art exhibitions to see in January 2024
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Caroline Walker curates as Grimm Amsterdam explores domesticity in art
Curating ‘The Painted Room’ at Grimm Amsterdam, Caroline Walker explores the intimacy of interiors
By Emily Steer Published
-
Drift Museum, a blockbusting experiential space, is set to open in Amsterdam in 2025
Drift Museum is a collaboration between art duo Drift – aka Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta – and entrepreneur Eduard Zanen
By Hannah Silver Published
-
New exhibition samples the deep space and alien vibes of Stanley Kubrick’s work
‘I'm Sorry Dave’ sees Amsterdam’s Ravestijn Gallery delve into otherworldly atmospheres and retro-futurism
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Amsterdam photography exhibitions: what not to miss
We spotlight the best Amsterdam photography exhibitions to visit this Autumn
By Sophie Gladstone Last updated
-
New dance performance features costumes made of spider silk
Mist is the second collaboration between choreographer Damien Jalet and artist Kohei Nawa, with spider silk costumes designed by Sruli Recht
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Photographing the defiance and opulence of Europe’s contemporary Ballroom scene
In his ongoing series, photographer Dustin Thierry charts the ‘emancipatory possibilities of expression’ in Ballroom culture across Europe
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated