Monday, May 11, 2009

The work of Johan Potma





Dutch painter (currently living in Berlin) surprised and delighted me after I stumbled into 111 Minna gallery in San Francisco. We all have seen how monsters (the friendly types) have migrated out of our closets and into art galleries. Johan however has developed a more sophisticated breed of monster that possesses more than just adorable/ugly good looks but also has a refreshing sense of humor. One thing that really fed the critic in me was his attention to detail. Unfortunately any pictures seen on this blog won't do the work justice as he incorporates small sculptural details likes staples, metal found objects, while making great use of antiques tabletop/chest lids as frames for the artwork. If you get a chance run down to 111 and see the work first hand (shown until May 30th).

His work brings a genuine smile to my face and is one of the few artists that makes me wish I could own one of his paintings (but I won't tell you which one). Click here to go to his website.

5 comments:

melissa tioleco-cheng said...

love his attention to teeth.

Anonymous said...

In East-Berlin there's a cool shop wich has prints of his drawings and of other similar artists, they are great, for the poor students ;) i've bought a couple, 5 euros each. It's not an original, but it's great anyways.

Unknown said...

Can you tell me exactly where this shop is?
I'll be in Berlin on April and I'd love to buy some of His prints..
:)

Robert J. Williams said...

Hey Francesca, the show he had was here in the USA, in San Francisco (on tour). I'm not sure where in Berlin you can find his work. You may wish to try his contact or News links on his website?

Thanks for the question,
– Rob

Anonymous said...

I found his pictures in a gallery in Berlin, Schönleinstraße - I love it!
I.