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freedom of speech is not limited to the inoffensive but extended also to the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome, and the provocative. As long as the such speech does not tend to provoke violence. And as an artist, this is also why I love London because it has established my right as an artist to do and say whatever I like which is not a right everybody has all over the world.

In this episode we meet Willem Baars, who runs Baars Projects; a small, and beautiful gallery in the centre of Amsterdam.

Willem is a man on a mission to disrupt the Amsterdam Art Space, and he does not mince his words;

What is art, and what makes good art?

The definitionof Art and what a good art work is perfectly defined by Willem’s work.

My name is Willem Baars, aged 42.

People know me as somebody who moves around in the art world. They probably think of me as being a bit controversial. I write newspaper columns and I have an opinion on every event around art happening Amsterdam and I’m not afraid to say so.

I feel this puts me in a rare position because I feel truly independent and can act with autonomy with what is a rigid environment.

Most people in the art world in Holland are not biased because they survive through government subsidies. This makes it difficult for a lot of people to be objective.

We’re now standing in the middle of my gallery. It is in the Hoogte Kadijk just out of the centre of Amsterdam. I opened this space in 2012 and I feel great about this place. I am fortunate to have it because this is where I can create an impact in the Amsterdam Art world. I do this first and foremost by showing good art.

At the moment we are exhibiting the work of Morgan Betz. He is an American / Dutch artist who is both the sculptor and the painter. He is one of the Rising Stars here here in Holland.

I also get inspired by literature. I am also a big fan of the Dutch book, De bruid van Marcel Duchamp by K. Schippers. This translates into English as something link in Search of the bride of Marcel Duchamp.

He is a writer I admire as he has the ability to make fiction from nonfiction. Often you have no idea whether what you are reading is fictitious, but he clearly loves his subjects, and it’s how they inspire his imagination that I find a beautiful thing to read.

The Definition of Good Art

It amazes me that I still discover art where I feel I’ve never seen anything like it before. In those precious moments you are reminded of the complexity of the heart and what it means to have your eyes opened.

Without these moments it would be very hard to have your own original thoughts, to think ‘out of the box’. Creativity is a give-and-take process and that process is ongoing. Every week I see a new piece of art or I read a new book or I listen to a new piece of music. There always exist this possibility that art can change my perspective or the beliefs I may have had the week before.

For me this is almost the definition of hope. There is creativity everywhere and more possibilities exist than you could ever imagine.

Find out more about Willem Baars

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