Helmut Smits (1974) is 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
Follow me on Instagram
Selected Exhibitions
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
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
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
