Helmut Smits is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Straightforward, critical and witty, Smits is a ceaseless producer of ideas that comment on society and situations in a frank and often humorous way.
Contact
Helmut Smits
mail@helmutsmits.nl
+31 6 145 06 889
Follow me on Instagram
Selected Exhibitions
2021 19 Chairs, Protein Studios, UK
2021 IABR Down to earth: Waterschool M4H+
2021 Bien Urbain Festival 10, Besançon, FR
2021 Het Museum Voor Niet-Essentiële Kunst, We Are Public, Droog Gallery
2021 Tegenbeeld, Kunstenlab Deventer
2021 Salon, online exhibition curated for Mister Motley
2020 19 Chairs, Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, UK
2020 Alpha-png tumblr by Luke Harby
2020 Groot Rotterdams Atelier Weekend
2020 Reservoir, 019 Ghent, BE
2020 Publieke Werken at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen drive-thru exhibition
2020 Descart, Rotterdam
2020 De Nacht, de Warande, BE
2020 Inside out - for you, Foundation Bad Rotterdam
2020 Studio away from Studio, Brooklyn, NY
2020 Solo-Solo, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, DE
2020 We=Link: Ten Easy Pieces, Chronus Art Center, CN
2019 Something In-Between, centraal station Breda
2019 3 x 3 at V2_Lab for unstable media, Rotterdam
2019 Flop Art, KK Outlet at Vans store London, UK
2019 Screen Time, Testsite Meent
2019 DNA IKEA, de Cacaofabriek
2019 Art The Hague, Bcademie
2019 The Shareholders' Meeting 4, with Maarten Bel
2019 Use Me, Abuse Me, KK Outlet at Vans store London, UK
2019 Dutch Art with text & Humor? No Thanks!, AG Space for new art and media, Utrecht
2019 ReReply, Editorial Concreta, Valencia, ES
2019 Rulers, Coco Hunday, Tampa Florida, US
2019 WaterSchool, Studio Makkink & Bey, Z33 Hasselt, BE
2019 WaterSchool, Studio Makkink & Bey, Atelier LUMA, Arles, FR
2019 Torrance Art Museum, CO/LAB 4, LA, US
2018 Family, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
2018 Uncertainty Principle, Desfours Palace, Prague, CZ
2018 the 4th Istanbul Design Biennial with Studio Makkink & Bey, Istanbul, TR
2018 Connected - East Meets West, TOP Gallery, Berlin, DE
2018 IKEA Hacked, Our Products, Your Ideas, IKEA Museum, Almhult, SE
2018 Bien Urbain Festival, Besancon, FR
2018 Artist Flags for 'De Mastplanters', 019 Ghent, BE
2018 Enter the Past and See the Future, Hotel Droog
2018 Ticket to de Toekomst, Villa Zebra
2018 When Attitudes Becomes Form, Rome, IT
2018 Stream Capture, MCAD, Minneapolis, US
2018 All Our Friends, KK Outlet, UK
2017 The Embasy of Food, DDW 2017
2017 Change the System, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen
2017 Stickey Business, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
2017 Brno Art Open 2017, CZ
2017 Zero Footprint Campus, Utrecht Science Park
2017 You Say You Know You Will You Do, Fresh Window Gallery, NY
2017 Fabulous Failures, Museum Le Botanique, BE
2017 Frame's KitchenLab, IMM, Cologne DE
2016 Dream out Loud, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
2016 Fabulous Failures, Les Recontres d'Arles, FR
2016 Measuring: This much, That much, How much?", Songshan Cult. Park, Taipei, TW
2016 Domestic Affairs, Doha, QA
2016 Domestic Affairs, Shenzhen, CN
2015 Romantik, August, Cologne, DE
2015 Cuckoo festival, Ostrava, CZ
2015 TodaysArt Festival, The Hague
2015 Volta 11, Fresh Window, Basel, CH
2015 Happy Birthday, The Israel Museum, IL
2015 Measuring: This much, That much, How much?", 21_21 Design Sight, JP
2015 Domestic Affairs, Passagen Cologne, DE
2014 Sense Nonsense, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
2014 The Value of Nothing, TENT, Rotterdam
2014 Eternal September, Institute for Contemporary Art Ljubljana, SI
2014 Game Changer, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, CO, US
2014 Construct – de – construct, Droog Gallery, Amsterdam
2014 Designing Scarcity, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam
2014 First Eleven, KK Outlet, London, UK
2014 Outrun, Fresh Window, Brooklyn, NY
2013 Design in Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
2013 Small Gestures, MU, Eindhoven
2013 Petites résistances, Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf, DE
2013 Welcome to the Real, Temp, New York, US
2013 Money's Worth, Gallery Sofie Lachaert, BE
2013 Some Things, Beginnings Gallery, New York, US
2012 Identity Land - DroogLab, Z33, BE
2012 Swedish for Argument, UTS Gallery Sydney, AU
2012 Skirting Board Sunset for The Sculpture House, London Design Festival, UK
2012 Photogenus, University of Cincinnati, US
2012 An Exhibition of Texts, Sometimes, Cape Town, ZA
2012 Objects in Mirror, Fotodok, Utrecht
2011 Arbeit Nervt, Künstlerhaus Dortmund, DE
2011 Changes, Auf AEG, Nürnberg, DE
2011 Our Complex, Generator Projects, Dundee, Scotland
2011 Analogue, The Luminary centre for the Arts, St. Louis, US
2011 Changes, Halle 14, Leipzig, DE
2011 Time Space Casuality, Bari, IT
2010 Voicemail project orchestrated by Davide Balula, Palais de Tokyo, FR
2010 Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial 2010, FR
2006 €10.000 Show, W139, Amsterdam
Commissions
2021 Sketch design for a commemorative coin ‘40 Jaar NOS Jeugdjournaal’, Dutch Ministry of Finance
2020 Four images for Raum für Raum, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, DE
2020 Screen print ‘The center of this print marked by the end of this sentence’ with Juste Ici, FR
2020 Sketch design for the City of Lommel, BE
2018 Chalk House for Bien Urbain Festival, Besançon, FR
2018 Sketch design for a commemorative coin ' 100 Years Wageningen University', Dutch Ministry of Finance
2017 Videoclip The Show for Janne Schra
2016 Campaign BGLF, Sue Amsterdam
2016 Onderstroom for CBK Rotterdam
2015 Outdoor wall drawing for Cuckoo festival, Ostrava, CZ
2015 the helmut smits button for MU Play&Learn
2014 Christmas tree for Neon Magazine, DE
2013 Permanent outdoor sculpture for Villa Flora Park, Gersau, CH
2013 Sketch design for a 2 euro coin, Dutch Ministry of Finance
2012 DroogLab - Identity Land
2011 Permanent outdoor sculpture for the Wooldrikpark, City of Enschede
2010 Sketch design for ASV Arsenal / SKOR
2010 Sketch design for the City of Veldhoven
2009 Sketch design for CBKG
2009 Sketch design for a commemorative coin, Dutch Ministry of Finance
2008 Sketch design for Bureau Beyond / Leidsche Rijn Park
2008 Sketch and DO design CBKR / Doorbraak
2008 Sketch design for the City of Assen
2008 Sketch design for Stanislas College / Kunst en Bedrijf
2007 Sketch design for the City of Zoetermeer
2007 Sketch design for the City of Rijswijk
2006 Sketch design for Q4 / City of Venlo
2006 Sketch design for Avans Universit
Teaching / Workshops / Lectures
2021 Guestteacher at Friday @ St. Joost
2021 Winterlab ArtEZ 2021
2020 External examiner, Fontys ArtCoDe, Tilburg
2020 Studio visit, design students professor Sven Völker, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
2020 External examiner, Fontys ArtCoDe, Tilburg
2019 Ode to the Forgotten Ideas, Sexyland Amsterdam
2019 Coaching Clash XXL Festival
2019 Lecture ‘Artistic Research', ’s-Hertogenbosch Academy for Visual Arts
2019 Workshop Winterlab, ArtEZ Zwolle
2018 Workshop Straight Circles and Picture Yourself, Onomatopee DDW18
2018 Lecture, Bcademy
2017 Lecture, WDKA Hacking
2017 Workshop Wall Street Eindhoven
2016 Lecture 20x20, Showroom Arnhem
2015 New Saints Talk, SintLucas DDW
2015 Lecture at Plato, Ostrava, CZ
2015 Workshop 1 Meter Party for 21_21 Design Sight, JP
2015 Lecture together with Bas van Beek at Studium Generale HKU
2015 Workshops at IMM Cologne for HNI icw. Bas van Beek
2014 Lecture ArtEZ, 2nd year graphic design
2014 Lecture WDKA, 1st year product design
2014 One week workshop, Academy of Visual Arts Halle, DE
2014 Lecture and workshop Koning Willem I College
2012 Lecture Meet the Makers, KOP Foundation, Breda
2012 Lecture Professional Practice, ’s-Hertogenbosch Academy for Visual Arts
2011 Lecture, Halle 14, Leipzig, DE
2011 One week workshop, Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, DE
2011 Ignite Amsterdam 6, Mediamatic, Amsterdam
2010 Museum De Pont / BKKC artist interview, moderator Alex de Vries
2008 Winterworkshop, Academy of Architecture, Amsterdam
2007 Guest workshop at Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam
2007 External examiner, Fine Art WDKA, Rotterdam
2006 Workshop Living, Design Academy, Eindhoven
Grants / Awards
2020 Stipendium for Emerging Artists, The Mondriaan Fund
2019 Design Grant Program, Creative Industries Fund NL
2016 Stipendium for Emerging Artists, The Mondriaan Fund
2014 O&O stipend, CBK Rotterdam
2011 Basic Stipend, Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam
2009 Absolut Talent Award 2009
2009 Longlist Prix de Rome 2009
2007 Basic Stipend, Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam
2007 Finalist EgoArt Prize 2006, Slovakia
2005 Starter stipend, Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam
Publications
2021 Focus Magazine, A Product’s Self Portrait
2020 De Standaard, Ooggetuige, Selfie van een pizza
2020 A Product’s Self Portrait, by Alif Ibrahim for It’s Nice That
2020 A Product’s Self Portrait, by Nat Twiss for Type 7
2020 Volkskrant Magazine, Between Us
2020 Neue Heimat, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin
2020 Metropolis M, On Hold #8 door Laura van den Bergh
2020 Between Us, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin
2020 Ocula Magazine, CAC Shanghai, by Sam Gaskin
2020 Shelf Carrier Shelf, Kosmos, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin
2019 Ordinary magazine no.9, Max Siedentopf and Yuki Kappes
2019 Volkskrant Magazine, The Design Issue, by Max Siedentopf
2018 Vertigo, TexWorld Paris
2018 Department of Search, ISBN 9789082672541
2018 Now Make This, curated by Thomas Bärnthaler, Phaidon
2018 Woth No.8
2017 Beyond the New on the Agency of Things, Louise Schouwenberg and Hella Jongerius, Koenig Books ISBN 978-3-96098-254-8
2017 Dichtung und Wahrheit, catalogue Brno Art Open 2017
2017 From meme to mainstream: internet art, aesthetics and offline luxury in a post-digital world by Nadine Roestenburg
2017 Change Makers, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, ISBN 978-90-6918-301-5 (engelse versie ISBN 978-90-6918-302-2)
2017 The Beauty of Impermanence, T Magazine, The New York Times
2017 Shedding Light, Corraini Edizioni, by Beppe Finessi
2017 Of Note Magazine, The Water Issue, by Marco Margaritoff
2017 Ordinary magazine no.5, Max Siedentopf and Yuki Kappes
2017 IMA Magazine, Vol.19, Japan
2017 Frame Magazine no.115
2017 Remix Studies by Pau Figueres
2016 Het Parool PS, 1 Meter Festival, by Daan Borrel
2016 De Volkskrant, Dream out Loud, by Jeroen Junte
2016 TL magazine no. 26
2016 The Real Thing, HelanOnline and Wechat by Jiaying Li
2016 The New Aesthetic and Art: Constellations of the Postdigital, ISBN: 978-94-92302-08-3
2016 Failed It!, Erik Kessels for Phaidon, ISBN: 9780714871196
2016 Ordinary magazine no.3 & no.4, Max Siedentopf and Yuki Kappes
2016 Aesthetics of joy, The joyful wax sculptures of Helmut Smits by Ingrid Fetell Lee
2016 Sight Unseen, The Beautifully Bizarre Franken-Candles of Dutch Artist Helmut Smits
2015 Milk Magazine no.28, Japan
2015 DASH Magazine no.11, by Louise Schouwenberg
2014 Neon Magazine, december 2014
2014 Wired Design by Margaret Rhodes
2014 The Australian by Chris Griffith
2014 Dezeen Magazine by Anna Winston
2014 The Verge by Adi Robertson
2014 PSFK by Adriana Krasniansky
2014 Wallstreetdaily by Nikia Wade
2014 Pocko by Robert Simons
2014 The Meander Journal, by Julian Hutton
2014 Kunstbeeld no. 4 & 5 2014
2014 Damn Magazine no.43, by Veerle Devos
2013 Inventario no.8
2013 ideas and thoughts by helmut smits, publisher Onomatopee, ISBN: 978-94-91677-10-6
2013 Some Book, ISBN: 978-3-03778-412-9
2013 Damn Magazine no.40
2013 Neon Magazine 07 & 08/13
2013 Arts Holland Magazine
2013 Monobrow #1, Brooklyn, NY
2012 Een idee aub, Erik Kessels, ISBN: 978-90-470-0591-9
2012 The Outlook Magazine issue 123, China, ISSN: 1671-0649
2012 Objects in Mirror-The Imagination of the American Landscape, ISBN: 978-94-90119-15-7
2012 De:Bug magazine 158
2012 It's Nice That, by Maya Davies
2011 Take it or Leave it, Van Abbemuseum / Onomatopee
2011 Love Earth, Victionary, Japan ISBN: 978-988-17327-5-0
2011 Open Design Now, Creative Commons Netherlands / Premsela / Waag Society
2011 Art & Agenda - Political Art and Activism, Gestalten
2011 Some Magazine, issue 1, by Juliane Hohlbaum / Falko Walter
2011 Lodown Magazine, issue 75, by Renko Heuer / Manuel Bürger
2011 Adbusters #94 mar/apr 2011
2011 Quotation Magazine no.10, Japan
2010 Spoonfork online magazine oct. 2010, by Katja Neumann
2010 Urban furniture for a new city life, by ICI Interface Editions, author Sophie Barbaux
2010 Spot Magazine Mexico, aug. issue
2010 Shopper Magazine no.17, China
2010 ADI Design Award Graphic Design Annual Vol. 2, China
2010 How Architecture Learned to Speculate, ISBN: 978-3-00-029876-9
2009 Financial Newspaper, magazine
2009 Blend, issue 40/41/42/43/44/45/46
2009 Blend, Creative special
2009 Bright magazine, by Anneloes van Gaalen
2009 Tangible - High Touch Visuals, Gestalten
2009 Front Magazine, Vancouver, BC
2008 Saving by Design, Korea Design Foundation
2008 NRC Handelsblad, Hacking IKEA, by Sandra Smets
2008 ‘123 ideas by helmut smits’, publisher Onomatopee, ISBN: 978-90-78454-15-1
2008 ‘On Guerrilla Gardening’, by Richard Reynolds
2008 Art das kunstmagazin, by Felicitas Rhan
2008 Simply Material, Victionary, Japan
2007 Holland Herald, by def. Amsterdam
2007 Mass Appeal Magazine NY, by Jay Riggio
2007 Chief Magazine NY, by Andrew Smith
2007 Material Matters, Victionary, Japan
2007 FHM China, by Lai Xuanwei
2006 ‘One hundred and one things to do’, KesselsKramer
2006 Frame Magazine, interview by Alexandra Onderwater
2006 Bon magazine, by Erik Kessels
2006 Destructed no.10, PDF magazine, Germany
2006 Code magazine no.2, Belgium
2006 NRC Handelsblad / NRC next mrt., interview by Dirk Limburg
With the kind support of the Mondriaan Fund
