BIOGRAPHY
EXPLORING WANDERER
Adriaan Rees (1957, Amsterdam) lives and works in China and Amsterdam. Rees is famous for his large-scale projects and assignments for public space. He makes sculptures and installations in many materials such as ceramics, bronze, glass, textiles, plaster and stone. He also works with photography and video.
When he works with clay, traces of his hands and the use of extreme power can easily be seen at the surface. He is approaching his sculptures almost as a landscape or a human body, sometimes in a sensual, sometimes in a brutal way. He is an artist who is not predictable, someone who always surprises with new ideas and approaches, a cosmopolitan artist.
Exploring wanderer, 2015
From 2000 Rees increasingly travelled to Asia, specifically to Japan, Korea and China. He is intensely affected by these cultures and settled in Jingdezhen, China where he works in his own studio among the thousands of craftsmen locally.
Tradition and innovation, humor and seriousness, monumentality and intimacy, vulnerable and tough, traditional and contemporary, religion and war, fantasy and reality. All this you can find in his sculptures: it is a dialogue between cultural traditions like Europe and Asia.
His work can be found in collections around the world, in museums, private collections and in public space. Rees teaches in The Netherlands, Germany, Finland, USA, Japan and China and frequently gives lectures about his own work, art and art in public space.
He also works as an art advisor and curator. Since 2008 he is the initiator and project leader for the Exchange project 400 years Delft – Jingdezhen. This project brings artists, designers, archaeologists and museums from both cities together. Famous are the Blue Revolution shows in museums in Delft (NL) and Jingdezhen and Donguan (CHN). The shows attracted more than 40.000 visitors in Delft, more than 80.000 in Jingdezhen and more than 200.000 in Donguan.
Rees was the curator of these shows.
1986-1991
2004
2009
Gerrit Rietveld Academy, sculpture department
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tokenomori, Institute for Ceramic Studies
Shigaraki, Japan
Inax Laboratory
Tokoname, Japan
Solo Exhibitions (selection)
Museums
2019
2017
2016
2015
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
- Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, NL
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Livingstone Gallery, The Hague, NL
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Livingstone Gallery, The Hague, NL
- Van Duyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- C&H Art Space, Amsterdam, NL
- Willy Schoots Gallery, Eindhoven, NL
- Stedelijk Museum Kampen, Kampen (3 locations), NL
- 38CC Art Lab, Delft, NL
- Total Museum, Seoul, Korea
- Willy Schoots Gallery, Eindhoven, NL
- Livingstone Gallery, The Hague, NL
- Inax Life Museum, Tokoname, Japan
- C-Space Beijing, Beijing, China
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Willy Schoots Gallery, Eindhoven, NL
- Livingstone Gallery, The Hague, NL
- Willy Schoots Gallery, Eindhoven, NL
- Livingstone Gallery, The Hague, NL
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Inax Life Museums, Tokoname, Japan
- Princessehof Ceramics Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
- RAM Gallery, Rotterdam, NL
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Embassy of the Netherlands, Tokyo, Japan
- Stedelijk Museum Zwolle, Zwolle, NL
- Nederlandse Gasunie, Groningen, NL
- Casco, Utrecht, NL
- Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, NL
- Van Kranendonk Gallery, The Hague, NL
Duo Exhibitions (selection)
2018
2017
2015
2012
2010
2008
2007
- Adriaan Rees and Gijs Frieling, Cultural Capital of Europe Leeuwarden, NL
- Adriaan Rees and Herman Makkink, SBK Gallery North, Amsterdam, NL
- Adriaan Rees and Sam Rees, SBK Gallery South, Amsterdam, NL
- Adriaan Rees and Alexander Ginter, Gallery M, Landau, Germany
- Adriaan Rees and Alexander Ginter, P13 Gallery, Heidelberg, Germany
- Adriaan Rees and Gijs Frieling, Art Amsterdam, Maria Chailloux Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- Adriaan Rees and Theo Kemp, Achter de Weg Gallery, Dordrecht, NL
- Adriaan Rees and Alexander Ginter, P13 Gallery, Heidelberg, Germany
- Adriaan Rees and Alexander Ginter, P13 Gallery, Heidelberg, Germany
Group Exhibitions (selection)
Museums
2016
2015
2014
2013
- Princessehof Ceramics Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
- Princessehof Ceramics Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
- Museum Tiendschuur, Tegelen, NL
- Yuan Chonghuan Museum, Dongguan, China
- Prinsenhof Museum, Delft, NL
- Imperial Porcelain Museum, Jingdezhen, China
2009
2008
2005
2001
1997
- Stedelijk Museum Kampen, Kampen, NL
- Netherlands Ceramic Museum, Fu Ping, China
- Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch, Den Bosch, NL
- Princessehof Ceramics Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
- Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, NL
Galleries
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
- Royal Palace Soestdijk, Soestdijk, NL
- Schoots+Van Duyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- Livingstone Gallery, Berlin, Germany
- De Vis Gallery, Harlingen, NL
- Posthuys Gallery, Texel, NL
- Anningahof Sculpture Park, Zwolle, NL
- RAM Gallery, Rotterdam, NL
- Anningahof Sculpture Park, Zwolle, NL
- De Nederlandse Bank, Amsterdam, NL
- Schoots+Van Duyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- Schoots+Van Duyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- Livingstone Gallery, The Hague, NL
- Kaneko Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
- Anningahof Sculpture Park, Zwolle, NL
- Schoots+Van Duyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- C&H Art Space, Amsterdam, NL
- Pulchri, Den Haag, NL
- Maria Chailloux Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- Van Duyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- Maria Chailloux Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2009
2008
2007
2006
2003
2000
1998
1995
1993
- Maria Chailloux Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- A.A.C.A. Synergy, Inax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
- 2 Cities Gallery, Shanghai, China
- W139 Art Space, Amsterdam, NL
- CAFA Gallery, Beijing, China
- Garth Clark Gallery, New York City, USA
- Ceramic World Biennale, Icheon World Ceramic Centre, Korea
- China Ceramic Council, Foshan, China
- Moscow Forum of Art, Moscow, Russia
- RED Centre, Dordrecht, NL
- Sculpture in the Little Forest, Ranaana, Israel
- Contemporary Art Centre, Moscow, Russia
Art fair
2016
2015
2014
2013
- KunstRAI Amsterdam, Livingstone Gallery, NL
- Dutch Design Week, Shanghai, China
- PAN Amsterdam, Livingstone Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- PAN Amsterdam, Livingstone Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- PAN Amsterdam, Livingstone Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2011
2008
2007
- Art Amsterdam, Livingstone Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- PAN Amsterdam, Willy Schoots Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- Art Cologne, Willy Schoots Gallery, Koln, Germany
- MIArt, Piercarlo Borgogno Gallery, Milano, Italy
2014
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2004
2003
- Circus Svea, sculptures, Schiedam, NL
- Street lamps, Delft, NL
- The Monkey / Het Heerlijk Recht, sculpture and wall, Leiderdorp, NL
- Schoolproject, sculptures, Enkhuizen, NL
- Roundabout, roundabout sculptures, Amsterdam, NL
- Sculpture for Hoogersmilde, NL
- Hanging glass- and ceramic sculpture, Maassluis, NL
- Boom van Hippocrates, sculpture and terrazzo Bench, Amsterdam, NL
- Schoolproject, sculptures, Amsterdam, NL
- Neptunis, sculpture and landscaping, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, NL
- Carillons with bronze sculptures, Heerhugowaard, NL
- Ceramic Sculptures for Fredonia, State University of New York, USA
- Apenluiders, fountain sculpture, IJsselstein, NL
- Boog, sculpture, Aa and Hunze, NL
- Embassy of the Netherlands, sculpture, Tokyo, Japan
- Town Square, design and development, Nieuwkoop, NL
- Sculpture forest, design and development, Ursula Foundation, Nieuwkoop, NL
- Big Ear, sculpture, Raänana, Israël
- Signum Omnicalus, sculpture, Almere, NL
- De Steenhouwer, sculpture, Gouda, NL
- University of Amsterdam, sculpture and furniture, NL
- Windmill, sculpture and breadproject, Zoetermeer, NL
© Adriaan Rees, 2016-2018. All rights reserved.