Art in Redlight Art in Redlight celebrates its tenth anniversary this year: a special exhibition following a decade of promoting contemporary artwork. This year, over 150 artists will exhibit within the iconic environs of the Beurs van Berlage. TEXT: HELLEN CULLEN  |  PHOTOS:  GERT JAN VAN ROOIJ

The ambition of the annual art fair is simple: to support and promote artists and connect  them  to  the  widest  audience possible.  As  a  non-profit  organization, the  fair  enjoys  a  unique  position  where they  can  put  the  artist  at  the  heart  of everything they do. Rob Thiejson, head of the selection committee, explains why this is so important, “Our foundation has survived for ten years in a field with huge competition. This must mean we have a special quality that I believe comes from us  doing  it  100%  for  individual  artists and the public. We’re very selective with what we show, we are curators.” Thiejson recounts how difficult it is to decide  who  will  claim  one  of  the  coveted spots. “Creativity is difficult to judge but we

88 |  Issue 12 |  December 2014

go  with  quality,  audacity,  expressiveness and whimsy.” Joining him on this massive undertaking were some of the most prestigious  figures  from  the  artistic  community.  He  says,  “Sometimes  our  opinions differed greatly, which sparked intense discussion, but that’s alright. We banged our heads together for the sake of art!” One of the unique selling points of the art fair  is  the  combination  of  established artists exhibiting alongside emerging stars of the art world. Internationally renowned names such as Barbara Broekman, V&B, Daan den Houter, Meinbert Gozewijn van Soest,  Julia  Winter  and  Albert  Geertjes will  be  interspersed  with  younger  artists such  as  Lisette  Frimannslund,  Anan Striker and Philip Schuette.