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
Talingstraat 5
3082 MG Rotterdam
The Netherlands
mail@helmutsmits.nl
+31 6 145 06 889

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Selected Exhibitions
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, Czech Republic
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, Taiwan
2016  Domestic Affairs, Shenzhen China and Doha Qatar
2015  Romantik, August, Cologne, Germany
2015  Cuckoo festival, Ostrava, Czech Republic
2015  TodaysArt Festival, The Hague
2015  Volta 11, Fresh Window, Basel, Switzerland
2015  Happy Birthday, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
2015  Measuring: This much, That much, How much?", 21_21 Design Sight, JP
2015  Domestic Affairs, Passagen Cologne
2014  Sense Nonsense, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
2014  The Value of Nothing, TENT, Rotterdam
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
2013  Welcome to the Real, Temp, New York, US
2013  Money's Worth, Gallery Sofie Lachaert, Belgium
2013  Some Things, Beginnings Gallery, New York, US
2012  Identity Land - DroogLab, Z33, Belgium
2012  Swedish for Argument, UTS Gallery Sydney, Australia
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, South Africa
2012  Objects in Mirror, Fotodok, Utrecht
2011  Arbeit Nervt, Künstlerhaus Dortmund, Germany
2011  Changes, Auf AEG, Nürnberg, Germany
2011  Our Complex, Generator Projects, Dundee, Scotland
2011  Analogue, The Luminary centre for the Arts, St. Louis, US
2011  Changes, Halle 14, Leipzig, Germany
2011  Time Space Casuality, Bari, Italy
2010  Voicemail project orchestrated by Davide Balula, Palais de Tokyo, France
2010  Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial 2010, France
2010  More or Less, Sofia Design Week, Sofia, Bulgaria
2010  Giant Bowl On Monuments Day, Oslo, Norway
2010  Electrified II, S.M.A.K., Ghent, Belgium
2010  CRW - contemporary reflection on war, BKS Garage, Copenhagen, Denmark
2010  War / Individual, Ausstellungshalle zeitgenössische Kunst Münster, Germany
2009  Laughing prohibited, De Bruine Heer, Eindhoven
2009  Different Places - Different Stories, Viersen, Germany
2009  Prix de Rome 2009, Witte de With, Rotterdam
2009  Repairing, Platform21, Amsterdam
2009  Hacking IKEA, The biennale de Montréal, Canada
2008  YES, Mama, Rotterdam
2008  Sweet Summer Nights, Kröller-Müller Museum
2008  One weekend show II, HWW, Rotterdam
2008  Brabant Now, Museum De Pont, Tilburg
2007  Rock My Religion, OdaPark, Venray
2007  EgoArt Prize 2006, Bastart Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
2007  Vitarti, Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke, Belgium
2007  Bizarre love triangle, Fette’s Gallery LA, US
2007  Art Rotterdam, Dubbelbee Gallery
2006  Code Strate, Brussel, Belgium
2006  Eastern Neighbours, Babel Tower, Utrecht
2006  AEKI, KOP Foundation, Breda
2006  €10.000 Show, W139, Amsterdam

Commissions
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, Czech Republic
2015  the helmut smits button for MU Play&Learn
2014  Christmas tree for Neon Magazine
2013  Permanent outdoor sculpture for Villa Flora Park, Gersau, Switzerland
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 University

Teaching / Workshops / Lectures
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, Czech Republic
2015  Workshop 1 Meter Party for 21_21 Design Sight, Japan
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, Germany
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, Germany
2011  One week workshop, Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, Germany
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  Outside expert for final examination of Fine Art course at WDKA, Rotterdam
2006  Workshop Living, Design Academy, Eindhoven


Grants / Awards
2016  Stipendium Program for Established 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
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

Photos by Lisa Klappe, Peter Menninga and Koos Breukel

With the kind support of Mondriaan Fund