On my recent trip to Amsterdam (which you can read about here), Allyn and I were riding the tram glancing out the window at passers-by and shop fronts when suddenly we simultaneously jolted in excitement. Immediately I whipped out my phone, hoping and praying that Google wouldn’t leave me disappointed. “Ermegah there’s loads of tickets!” I shrieked, and so the next morning we headed down to Amsterdam’s own Art Square.
We joined a short queue outside of the city’s contemporary art gallery, the Moco Museum, excitedly awaiting the reveal of their two fantastic exhibitions. A townhouse designed in 1904, Moco is a privately owned gallery of owners Lionel and Kim Logchies who have worked with inspiring artists for decades including Jeff Koons, Picasso, Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst, work of whose can be found among the gift shop.
They say Amsterdam is one of the art capitals of the world, but this really took the biscuit. Both one of mine and one of Allyn’s favourite artists were each taking over the Moco mansion house… together… simultaneously. We couldn’t have planned it better!
Banksy: Laugh Now, until August 30 2017. Featuring over 50 pieces from the renowned artist, displayed for the first ever time in a museum. A collection of renowned street art, rescued pieces from rubble and works not yet displayed.
Dalí: Genius, until 11 June, 2017. A tribute to a man who changed the world through his art and beliefs. A varied sample of his work from inspired furnishings to recognisable sketches, each as eccentric as the next.
I’m not even going to try and smarm my way through reviewing the exhibitions because quite frankly I’m not a professional critic. But as someone who was highly inspired by Dali back in my Art A Level days, it was truly an experience to be up close to his work and delve into a small portion of his wonderfully wacky mind.
As for Banksy, well of course Allyn was in heaven. I’ve been a fan of Banksy but I guess I’ve never honestly fully understood or appreciated his work. Seeing his pieces up close and having accessible explanations definitely opened my eyes and filled me with a higher level of respect for his ideas and concepts of the world we live in.
My favourite, like many, is Balloon Girl. Not just because it’s perhaps one of Banksy’s more ‘pretty’ works, but because of the beautiful meaning. Hope is essential and despite bleak, difficult periods of time, happiness is always a possibility that should never be given up on.
We both left feeling incredibly inspired and immediately came home filled to the brim with ideas and enthusiasm for getting creative. Watch this space ey 😉
What exhibitions have you been to recently? Have any left you full of inspiration to create your own work?
