Bart Eysink Smeets

‘A Gradient of Cars’ involves five stacked sedans as if a giant child has sorted toy cars by colour. The artworks tries to raise questions such as: how do we use our space, and who occupies it? Cars take up such a large part of our living space that we barely even notice it. Like other cars, the cars in the stack have their own personalities. One car is owned by a football-dad, another has a ski-box on top or a bike attached to the back. All these realistic details are coincidentally coloured in the same colour as the car. A gradient of cars is part of the exhibition They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot by Stichting NDSM Werf.

The kitchen and the tide, 2024. A modern kitchen being flooded by high tide. On view during Oerol Festival. Humans are very good at creating places where we keep nature out. In ‘The Kitchen and the Tide’ I let nature back in. It is about life below sea level, but also about our battle against visible and invisible forces of nature. How we systematically ignore threats and risks in order to strive for a certain standard. Many thanks to @stichtingsymbio @oerolterschelling @willemvankelle and @marijketiemersma

Wind Mee (Tailwind), 2024 On view during @boschparade Relax on the water, one with nature. Sailing is pure enjoyment. No one, not even nature itself, can stand in the way of that moment. Wind Mee is a work that magnifies man’s relationship with nature. If a person wants something, he will get it, for better or for worse. Many thanks to @jonathan_doorduin Photo 1/2 by @mokomokostudio Photo 3 by Ben Nienhuis

Standplaats Vlieland is weer in volle gang. Voor de tweede keer op rij nodigen @museumtrompshuys , @hi.lo.art en Into The Great Wide Open een aantal kunstenaars uit voor een artist-in-residenceprogramma, met Vlieland als uitvalsbasis én inspiratiebron. Tien kunstenaars en collectieven dompelen zich onder in het eiland, waar ze voor een langere tijd verblijven om te werken aan nieuwe artistieke projecten. Hierbij staat de relatie tussen natuur, ecologie en cultuur centraal. Hun creatieproces delen ze met bewoners tijdens verschillende presentatiemomenten. De selectie van 2026 : Lange residentie (foto’s) - Pip Passchier (@pippasschier ), Sunjoo Lee & Ko de Beer (@sunzoolee ), Bart Eysink Smeets (@barteysinksmeets ), Michiel van Bakel (@michielvanbakel ) en Studio Berkveldt (@berkveldt ). Korte residentie - Eva Blaak (@debokofhetloket ), Herman Knottnerus (@hermanknottnerus ), Jelle Korevaar (@jelle_korevaar_art ), Anika Schwarzlose & Katja Verheul (@anika.schwarzlose @katjaverheul ) en Maaike van der Linde (@maaikevanderlinde @stichtingecoacoustics ). Lees meer over de kunstenaars op standplaatsvlieland.nl

Kunstenaar Bart Eysink Smeets kunnen we nooit eens normaal interviewen 👀 Voor zijn werk ‘They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot’ op de NDSM-werf in Amsterdam was een ladder en een hoogwerker nodig. Je ziet het hele interview met Bart in NPO Cultuur op NPO Start!

Link in bio! Do you want the oeuvre book that always stays up to date? Become a member now! The book is in English. Many thanks to @ndsm who made this work possible and @snackunit666 for filming!

For @diep_emmen I wrapped a grandfather clock in sheet metal. Because of the metal, you can’t open it, and it will be a present forever. Allthough you can’t see the time, you hear the ticking and every hour you hear the clock strike. Like all the works in the Forever Gift Series, this work tries to capture the excitement of the present. But this work also tries to capture time itself, or tells something about time being the most precious gift you could give someone.

A remake of the work ‘Picasso’. A family car balances on a centuries-old boulder. Nature and culture collide. To further emphasise the absurd character, Picasso’s signature, in a huge detour, now appears again on a work of art. Photos 5 and 6 by @chris__becher Picasso is part of the exhibition ‘they’ve paved paradise and put up a parking lot’ by @ndsm

In een interview met @hetparool reflecteert @barteysinksmeets op de dominante rol van de auto in onze leefomgeving: “Een groot deel van de openbare ruimte wordt in beslag genomen door auto’s en de wegen, parkeerplekken en garages die ze nodig hebben.” Deze gedachte vormt een van de kernpunten van They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot: drie auto-installaties — Picasso, Forever Gift en Het verloop van auto’s — die op speelse en vervreemdende wijze laten zien hoe vanzelfsprekend de auto is geworden in onze publieke ruimte. Lees het artikel via de link in stories en ga voor meer informatie over de werken naar de link in bio. 📍 Te zien op de NDSM-werf t/m 3 mei. //ENG In an interview with @hetparool , @barteysinksmeets reflects on the dominant role of the car in our living environment: “A large part of public space is taken up by cars and the roads, parking spaces and garages they need.” This idea is one of the key points of They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot: three car installations — Picasso, Forever Gift and Het verloop van auto’s — that, in a playful and slightly surreal way, show how natural the presence of the car has become in our public space. Read the article via the link in Stories and visit the link in bio for more information about the works. 📍 On view at the NDSM Wharf until 3 May. 📸 1. Ramon van Flymen @ramonvanflymen 📸 2. Chris Becher @chris__becher #NDSMwerf #BartEysinkSmeets #TheyPavedParadise #PublicArt #HetParool

‘A Gradient of Cars’ at night. The work involves five stacked sedans as if a giant child has sorted toy cars by colour. The artworks tries to raise questions such as: how do we use our space, and who occupies it? Cars take up such a large part of our living space that we barely even notice it. Like other cars, the cars in the stack have their own personalities. One car is owned by a football-dad, another has a ski-box on top or a bike attached to the back. All these realistic details are coincidentally coloured in the same colour as the car. A gradient of cars is part of the exhibition They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot by Stichting NDSM Werf.

SNEAK PREVIEW 👀❄️ Ondanks sneeuw, kou en bevroren handen werkt @BartEysinkSmeets keihard aan de installatie van ‘Het verloop van auto’s’, onderdeel van They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot. Op NDSM wordt het werk stap voor stap opgebouwd — door Bart zelf, samen met zijn team, midden in de winterse omstandigheden. Binnenkort is They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot te zien: drie auto-installaties die vanaf 15 januari verspreid over de werf staan geparkeerd. Op woensdag 14 januari openen we het project feestelijk. • Opening: woensdag 14 januari, 17.30–19.30 uur • Startlocatie: Smederijplein, met aansluitend een nieuwjaarsreceptie bij @pllek_amsterdam Meer informatie: via de link in bio //ENG SNEAK PREVIEW 👀❄️ Despite snow, cold, and freezing temperatures, Bart Eysink Smeets and his team are working relentlessly on the installation of ‘Het verloop van auto’s’, part of They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot. On the NDSM Wharf, the artwork is being built step by step — installed by Bart himself together with his colleagues, straight through winter conditions. They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot consists of three car installations that will be parked across the wharf from 15 January onwards. The official opening takes place on Wednesday 14 January. • Opening: Wednesday 14 January, 17:30–19:30 • Starting point: Smederijplein, followed by a New Year’s reception at @pllek_amsterdam More information: via the link in bio Made possible by: @afk020 & @mondriaanfonds #NDSM #NDSMWharf #PublicArt #ContemporaryArt #barteysinksmeets

‘Teamplayer’ is an installation that creates a playful competition between a tree and a lamp post in the middle of Tilburg. A clash between nature and culture. Both objects are dressed in team colors and even share the sponsor of their team members. Teamplayer is part of @kaapstad_tilburg . Many thanks to the whole team and especially @jonathan_doorduin