Accompanied by Yasha Young (Director of BLOOOM), Walter Gehlen: (ART FAIR director), Catherine Cramer (managing partner of the Warsteiner Group) and Joko Winterscheidt (TV), Edo Dijksterhuis represent the Netherlands for BLOOOM Award. Other organisations Edo is involved with to carry out his credo: the Cultural Press Agency, the November Music Festival and the online magazine Theater Schrift Lucifer…

 
Can you tell us about your involvement with the artfair and and with it, where lies the potential for young Dutch artists ?
I know Art Fair 21 for several years now. I first visited the show as a critic, then as director of Art Amsterdam. After a while I met the directors of the show and we exchanged ideas about innovations in art fairs. When Art Fair 21 launched Blooom, we also had a talk about this. Creative industries interest me very much. As a journalist I wrote articles and even a book about creative businesses (Smart City). It is a sector that crosses boundaries and combines different disciplines. Because Blooom is not limited to fine art nor street art nor design or any closed domain for that matter, there is room for creative talent to expand beyond the boundaries of art.

Given the current choice in Dutch politics to withdraw from substantial involvement from art and culture and the diversion of this responsibility towards commercial companies and society … can we say the role of Warsteiner in Blooom – with it’s international character – is progressive?
It is particularly commendable that Warsteiner is committed to the Warsteiner Blooom Award. With the withdrawal by the government it has become essential that individuals and businesses take their responsibility to maintain, promote and expand a rich cultural gamma. It is important for companies to realize that they themselves will benefit from it – by means of improving the settlement for creative talent, encouraging out of the box thinking and in general, raising of the quality of life. Of course, the relationship between business and art can be made far more effective. It essential for both parties to speak in tearms of each other’s language. The Blooom Award functions as a meeting point and an opportunity to get to know each other better.

 
What is your own view on media and modern ways
of reaching out to a wider and widespread audience?
I have my background in journalism (head of art at ‘FD’, freelance ‘NRC Handelsblad’) and believe in the power and potential of media without doubt. The one problem is that the status of art criticism in the past twenty years has been totally undermined – critics are not accepted as an authority in the traditional media where we see less room for art. In effect it could be possible that art will disappear from those media. Opposite to that there is an enormous increas in the possibilities of new media. Internet Art criticism is still in its infancy. Authoritative interpretations of art and control of discourse through fragmentation of information and authors is an issue to be addressed.

 
Media is subject to the interest of the public.
Where lie the opportunities when I want to sell my art?
How and where you can sell your art, very much depends on the type of art you make offcourse and what you want to achieve from it. Do you want to belong to the international top? Then you are to make sure to get an international gallery to promote your work and with it to coordinate and control the marketing strategy. Do you want the widest possible audience?
Try using an online store. Media attention is always helpful to boost sales. More importantly, your work comes to the attention of the people who you want to see it. A well thought over strategy is indispensable.

 
For further information about Blooom:
visit www.blooomaward.de or www.facebook.com / warsteinerNL.