More Art...

Normally the stairs up to the next floor are covered in chairs forming a tiered auditorium, so it was surprising to see the chairs gone and replaced by works of art made by students at local art schools in an exhibition called All You Can Art.

Artists were on-hand to discuss their work and to hold workshops for visitors. 

This artist was even willing to pop his head into his creation so I can take this photo.

Jimmy enjoyed chatting with a DJ.

On the top floor, there was an collaborative exhibition between furniture and product designer Ineke Hans and visual artist Erik Mattijssen called Brined Herring, Red Beet. We enjoyed seeing their creative efforts in combining 2D and 3D materials in colorful settings.

 

We Are Animals...

Exploring the relationship humans have with animals, We Are Animals featured works by over 30 contemporary artists. Some were edgy, showing how humans manipulate other animal species.

Others celebrated animals for being miraculous creatures. 

We loved seeing this photograph by William Wegman, the creator of Dog Alphabet, one of the girls’ favorite videos when they were little. 

These photos of butterflies were beautiful...

…but on closer inspection this one was quite heartbreaking. 

 

Youthquake...

The following week we were back in Rotterdam to go to the Kunsthal to see their new exhibits. The first was Youthquake: The Desire for Eternal Youth, examining the strong influence youthfulness has on the fashion world. Children’s wear didn’t exist until 1900. Before then kids just wore miniature versions of adult clothes.  

Kim Kardashian isn’t the only star that dresses her daughter as a mini-me as a display of wealth in the 21st century.

The Souper Dress was made out of paper in 1966 for Campbell’s Soup. Customers could order the throwaway dress by mailing two soup labels and $1 to the company.

This silk sleepwear ensemble supposedly influenced by street wear was part of Louis Vuitton’s 2018 men’s collection presented in Paris. 

This dress was made in honor of Hello Kitty’s 45th anniversary by JimmyPaul in 2019...

…the same year that this Elmo jacket was made in honor of Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary. He describes his work as “one-of-a-kind low-brow fashion pieces.”

At 99 years old, Iris Apfel is an eternal teenager and famous style icon. Love that this lady posing with her photo has similar glasses, although not the colorful fashion sense. 

 

What a View!

This corporate housing clearly wasn’t designed to be used as an office, despite moving in during a pandemic. There was no desk, so Jim worked at the dining room table when he didn’t go into the office. Hard to feel sorry for him though with incredible views from every angle.

The apartment was completely kitted out, but the kitchen clearly wasn’t designed for entertaining since the sink was the smallest I’d ever seen—too small to even fit the smallest pot provided. 

Jim loved showing off his tiny dishwasher in his tiny kitchen. 

Here’s a bunch of photos looking towards The Hague Centrum. 

We’ve already put in our request to come over on New Year’s Eve to see the fireworks from every direction. 

 

Scheveningen’s First Skyscraper...

In early August Jim invited us over for dinner at his temporary apartment in this impressive hi-rise in Scheveningen. 

Even more impressive was the view from his two-story apartment: the penthouse. There was no terrace, but there was a narrow balcony allowing me to take photos without the glare of the windows. This bunch were all taken looking towards the North Sea.

 

A Post-Wedding BBQ...

One week after their wedding, Celine and Richard had a few friends over for a BBQ, to see a slide show of the photos that Jimmy and I took and to open this unusual present from Reinhardt and Inga. 

Since Richard is the General Contractor on the renovation of their house in Leiden, they figured it was fitting to give them a big slab of concrete. 

It took some serious whacks to break it open...

...to get down to some coins and a water bottle...

…filled with some kind of Styrofoam-like substance and more coins. Definitely a unique gift and a fun evening.