Standard shapes: Aldo Bakker’s warped jugs go on show at Amsterdam’s Looiersgracht 60
![Image of a pale yellow porcelain pot/Jug on display with some imagery on the wall behind](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oAw7Mm4DFFByNcAGFKJ2v4-415-80.jpg)
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.
The exhibition features five objects, dotted around the gallery's bright industrial space
Each piece is presented on a pedestal, specially developed by Bakker to enhance and complement the form of each object
The pale yellow porcelain 'Pot' is shown on a thin trestle of the same colour, enhancing its proportions
The minimal porcelain 'Pipe' jug
The 'Pivot' jug, a shell-shaped, gold-plated pourer
The 'Soy Pourer', designed for Thomas Eyck in 2010
Jugs are expected to have straightforward qualities: 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 silver 'Square Pourer' was commissioned by the gallery to complete the exhibition
The show is accompanied by a limited edition book designed by Veronica Ditting, who provided strong photographic interpretations of the objects
ADDRESS
Looiersgracht 60
1016 VT, Amsterdam
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
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.
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
‘The danger of AI’, photography and the future at Foam
New project ‘Photography Through the Lens of AI’ asks the big questions at Foam, Amsterdam
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Artist Peggy Kuiper’s impactful figurative works explore her memories and emotional landscape with striking visual intensity
Peggy Kuiper presents ‘The Conversation That Never Took Place’ at Reflex in Amsterdam, featuring over 25 new works (until 13 July)
By Simon Chilvers 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