Irma Boom goes 'Under Cover' at Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Acclaimed Dutch book designer Irma Boom has produced more than 300 books, a third of which are housed in collections from the Centre Pompidou in Paris to MoMA in New York and the Art Institute in Chicago. Following the opening of the ‘Cuyperspassage’ in Amsterdam, where Boom designed a 110-metre tile wall earlier this year, she is now attracting further attention in her hometown at Slewe Gallery.
Since 1994, Boom has been working with compatriot gallerist Martita Slewe, creating the gallery’s identity and designing most of its catalogues, plus a book published in 2004 to mark its ten-year anniversary. Now, the gallery is staging an exhibition for Boom herself, entitled 'Under Cover'; and the designer has been invited to curate the show herself. ‘Over the years, Irma slowly moved into a position of an artist,' says Slewe. 'She is now moving between the boundaries of art and design; a very interesting position.’
The exhibition, which opened on 12 March, comprises two parts. The first features 15 of Boom’s own books – including some rare titles – together with a further 12 that she considers fundamental to her work as an artist. The 1996 commission from Dutch coal trader SHV, the 2,136-page SHV Think Book 1996–1896 that put Boom on the international map, is an essential choice; Weaving as Metaphor for the American artist Sheila Hicks – proclaimed 'The Most Beautiful Book in the World’ by Leipzig Book Fair in 2006 – describes the tactile approach of Boom’s works; the famously inkless white volume, No. 5 Culture Chanel, created for Chanel’s 2013 exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, showcases the unconventional nature of both the brand and the designer.
The second part of the exhibition sees the launch of Boom’s Hommage à Kelly, designed as a tribute to her inspiration, Ellsworth Kelly, who died last December. The 1,216-page volume of pure colour blocks concealed in a black box is a limited edition of 99 copies, signed and numbered in pencil – more than half have already been bought by collectors.
‘Over the years, Irma slowly moved into a position of an artist,' says gallerist Martita Slewe. 'She is now moving between the boundaries of art and design; a very interesting position.’ Pictured: No. 5 Culture Chanel, created for Chanel’s 2013 exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris
The exhibition, which opened on 12 March, comprises two parts. The first features 15 of Boom’s own books – including some rare titles – together with a further 12 that she considers fundamental to her work as an artist. Pictured: Project Japan: Metabolism Talks, by Rem Koolhaas, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Kayoko Ota, published by Taschen, 2012. Courtesy the artist
The second part of the exhibition sees the launch of Boom’s Hommage à Kelly, designed as a tribute to her inspiration, Ellsworth Kelly, who died last December.
The 1,216-page volume of pure colour blocks concealed in a black box is a limited edition of 99 copies, signed and numbered in pencil.
Since 1994, Boom has been working with Martita Slewe, creating the gallery’s identity and designing most of its catalogues, plus a book published in 2004 to mark the gallery’s ten-year anniversary.
INFORMATION
’Under Cover’ is on view until 16 April. For more information, visit the Slewe Gallery’s website (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
Slewe Gallery
Kerkstraat 105-A
1017 GD Amsterdam
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
Yoko Choy is the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, where she has contributed for over a decade. Her work has also been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. As a creative and communications consultant, Yoko has worked with renowned institutions such as Art Basel and Beijing Design Week, as well as brands such as Hermès and Assouline. With dual bases in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Yoko is an active participant in design awards judging panels and conferences, where she shares her mission of promoting cross-cultural exchange and translating insights from both the Eastern and Western worlds into a common creative language. Yoko is currently working on several exciting projects, including a sustainable lifestyle concept and a book on Chinese contemporary design.
-
New Wempe marine chronometers see historical codes meet curved forms
Wempe and yacht designer Tim Heywood unveil the Wempe Marine Chronometer Cube and the Wempe Marine Chronometer Coco de Mer
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Rolls-Royce Wraith goes out with a high-contrast bang
Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow is a handcrafted homage to a record breaker
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga Estate offers chance to stay in the architect’s master suite
Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga Estate opens the celebrated architect’s former master suite to visitors in Sri Lanka
By Daven Wu • Published
-
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
-
Viviane Sassen's Huis Marseille show is drenched in history, melancholy and intrigue
Through photography and collage, Dutch artist Viviane Sassen examines the tempestuous history of the Palace of Versailles
By Jessica Klingelfuss • Last updated
-
Drift’s poetic drone installation takes flight for Netherlands’ Liberation Day
The Dutch artist duo staged a special iteration of Franchise Freedom above Rotterdam this week, flying 300 illuminated drones in formation to send a message of hope and encouragement in midst of the Covid-19 pandemic
By TF Chan • Last updated
-
Artist Katrien De Blauwer’s photomontages have us doing double takes
Her uncanny clippings offer a new way of seeing at Nederlands Fotomuseum
By Charlotte Jansen • Last updated
-
Polly Brown explores the friction-filled process of airport security checks
From colourful signage in Hokkaido to watery wavescapes in Miami, the artist’s series of x-ray damaged film photographs subverts the romance of travel
By Maisie Skidmore • Last updated
-
Dutch duo Scheltens & Abbenes embrace the ordinary to create the extraordinary
Maurice Scheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes celebrate 18 years of collaboration with a career-spanning survey of commercial and personal work at Foam photography museum in Amsterdam
By Sophie Gladstone • Last updated