Selected by Jochem Leegstra

In 'Eyes of Gold', we invite some of our favourite tastemakers with a golden eye to select three works from the Bisou collection. Each guest explains their choices and shares how these pieces might live together in their space.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m Jochem Leegstra (1972), and I live with Julia and our kids, Yuli and Mano, in the countryside north of Amsterdam. Next to that i’m the founder, creative director, initiator (what’s in a name) of ANDSTAAT, a new studio and space dedicated to all forms of creative collaboration (the AND is the beginning). For us it’s a natural evolution of …,staat, the creative agency we started back in 2000 and which we wrapped up last year. Our work is as diverse as the people we work with: from editorial and spatial design to identities, branding, packaging, and campaigns.

Clients from now & the last years include the Prins Claus Fund, Nike, Rosewood (art curation), SolidNature, The(ANY)Thing, and local hero’s like Wilder Land and HEMA. Besides client work, we also initiate our own projects. One of the most impactful is still THE NEW STIJL (2022). A platform that started as a book. THE NEW STIJL celebrates Dutch creativity beyond borders. It brings together over 50 designers, artists, photographers, architects and more in an iconic 500+ page publication. A striking visual showcase of creativity in the Netherlands today. 

You’ve selected three works from Bisou, what drew you to each?

I’ve been following the work of Jules Julien for years already. We’ve also acquired some of his pieces for The (ANY)thing and Rosewood. His visual style is strong, ultra-aesthetic, and personally very appealing to me, almost magnetic. His new black collage series feels different again. There’s a kind of post-pop culture vibe to it.

I saw this work during Amsterdam Art Week last year during Bisou Gallery's group show (What you see is what I like) at the Pulitzer Amsterdam and I chose this specific piece, Gray Area 01, because visually it reminds me of Anne Imhof’s installation YOUTH (Stedelijk Museum, 2022).

Slick and underground at the same time.

Of course, I had to include a spatial work by Faan Olgers in my selection. Thanks to the custom work he created last year for Rosewood, it’s currently on view in the entrance/lobby, I’ve seen his sketches and thought process up close. The focus is tangible, the work is constructed and the use of colour pigments in relation to the architectural whole is truly special.

This particular piece “FOV 827” uses a different technique—a perfectly fitting spatial collage of wood. Breathtaking as a whole. A grown-up building block set with a touch of antiquity. Meant to be touched. Nice detail, the work is made in 2000, the year we started …,staat. 

My last pick is a brilliant abstract painting by Steven van Lummel. Great title: 'When the Window is Open, the Flies Will Come In 1'. The work is subtle and bold at the same time, graphically clean, with sharp lines. Love it. Same for the color use.

Would you display these together, or would they live in different spaces?

I actually see the three works as a beautiful trio. All different artists, different techniques and materials. Same gallery. Lovely. So, yes. I would absolutely display them together. I can already see them in the library space of our soon-to-open new studio.

Is there a piece from this selection you'd love to ask the artist a question about?

I have so many questions… but just one for now, Steven van Lummel: what comes first for you, the work or the title?

The work comes first, always.