With her diverse program, K_nstvl___ focuses on experimental art spaces. These art initiatives, often led by artists, offer emerging artists a platform and act as a catalyst for innovation, in terms of content, as well as organization. K_nstvl___ explores the playing field of these initiatives and the different contexts within which they operate. How do they organize and manifest themselves? What strategies do they employ to (re)present artists? With what questions and challenges are they confronted in the ever-fluctuating cultural field? With a biennial festival, meetings, discussions, publications and (coming soon) a database, K_nstvl___ provides a platform for these initiatives to share and exchange knowledge.
K_nstvl___ has an ANBI-status.
Since 1997 K_nstvl___ has been an important platform for project spaces, art(ist-run) initiatives and other experimental organisations within the visual arts. It was initiated by the Sandberg Institute, the master course of the Rietveld Academy, as a response to KunstRAI, a fair for contemporary art in Amsterdam. It used to accommodate master students as well, who would showcase their work alongside the initiatives. The festival started out as an annual event and over time became biennial. The first eight editions took place in the monumental Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam and had the characteristics of an alternative art fair.
In 2012 K_nstvl___ left the Westergasterrein to pursue a more nomadic existence, with the aim to start pioneering once again. The set-up of K_nstvl___ changed as well: it turned into a manifestation that generates and functions in a more selective manner, resulting in a more specific and more international content. In 2014, the tenth edition took place in the Amstelpark, a large park in the south of Amsterdam. In line with its unconventional venue, K_nstvl___ 2014 centred around critical engagement with space and alternative approaches to production and exhibition formats. For more information about this edition, click here.
Hendrik-Jan Hunneman, Noor Mertens & Marjolein van de Ven — concept & daily management
Christiane Bosman — communication
Erica van Loon & Léon Kruijswijk - production
Noor Nuyten — education
Katja van Stiphout — graphic design
