10 of the best independent galleries in Amsterdam

Amsterdam has a vibrant contemporary art scene, showcasing up-and-coming talent as well as young stars from abroad. Russell Joyce of Unfold Amsterdam picks his favourite galleries

• As featured in our Amsterdam city guide

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• Russell Joyce & Sarah Gehrke
• theguardian.com, Wednesday 22 June 2011 10.00 BST

Blue-sky thinking … Detail from image by Laser3.14, Radar Architecture and Art

Radar Architecture and Art

Founded by architect and music lover Marco di Piaggi in 2008, Radar has established itself as a gallery that focuses on art firmly rooted in and influenced by the city. De Piaggi considers the gallery an "avant-garde monitor" and uses his association with Amsterdam's underground music scenes as a conduit for what's happening. For example, in spring 2011 local tagging hero Laser 3.14 (equally loved and despised throughout town) brought his spray-painted poetry and vibrant, dystopian canvases to the gallery's cosy new space, which is situated (somewhat ironically) on the ground floor of a typically gabled Amsterdam house. Radar seeks to remain radical and urgent, as exemplified by the exhibition Street | Spirit, which features Polish painter Nisja's strangely calm cityscapes contrasting with the immediacy and frenzy of Marcel Ozymantra's large canvases. 
• Rozengracht 77A, no phone, radar-amsterdam.com, free admission. Open Fri-Sat 1pm-5pm and by appointment

Aschenbach & Hofland

Photograph: Sven-Ole Frahm

Like so many success stories of cultural Amsterdam, this gallery began as a squat in the 80s and is now recognised as one of the best in the city. Owner Gerhard Hofland focuses on emerging talent as well as mid-career artists and has featured Jochen Mühlenbrink's memorable trompe l'oeil paintings of the backs of paintings, complete with faux sticky tape, stapled edges and packing notes; a claustrophobic "down the rabbit hole" gallery installation incorporating vibrant canvases and urban tribal sculpture from Simon Hemmer, Lutz Driessen and Seb Koberstädt; and the wonderful abstract musings of Sven-Ole Frahm, with their geometric strips set on – and cut away from – bold fields of primary colours. Once the appetite for art is sated, a wander around the marble foyer of this Jugendstil print foundry (built in 1901) is highly recommended. 
• Bilderdijkstraat 165c, +31 20 412 1772, gerhardhofland.com, free admission. Open Wed-Sat 1pm-5pm

Galerie Fons Welters

Photograph: Gert Jan van Rooij

Tucked away on a nondescript residential Jordaan street, just off bustling Rozengracht, Galerie Fons Welters is one of the city's most consistent providers of cutting-edge contemporary art. The gallery has been central in promoting and artistically supporting young artists from theNetherlands and beyond since 1988. The larger, more traditional high-ceilinged "white cube" space in the rear has accommodated a ghostly slide projector installation from English artist Claire Harvey's "life in black and white" miniature world, plus more conventional sculpture and painting exhibitions from established artists such as Folkert de Jong andSven Kroner. In contrast, the smaller Playstation project area in the front of the gallery caters to up-and-coming talent, often fresh from the academies. From painting through sculpture and installation to multimedia and performance, this gallery is a must. 
• Bloemstraat 140, +31 20 423 3046, fonswelters.nl, free admission. Open Tues-Sat 1pm-6pm

KochxBos

Photograph: Ray Caesar/Bubbles

In the converted living room of a ground floor house in a typically claustrophobic Amsterdam street, Esther Koch and Hans Bos have taken their fascination for the surreal and avant garde and created a superb showcase for today's top international lowbrow and underground art. The offerings are always varied and hung with a designer's eye for detail. Previous exhibitions include Ray Caesar's engrossing digital prints, depicting his Victorian future-world denizens, the ink and acrylic carnivalesque creatures by Toulouse-born painter Ciou, and in spring 2011 the gallery hosted the first solo show in the Netherlands by Sarah Maple, England's "heir to Emin". Featured works included her provocative Cock photo series and her self-portrait of a Muslim woman tenderly cradling a piglet. Nestled alongside cafes and fashion boutiques in the picturesque Jordaan, KochxBos is a colourful and strangely refreshing tonic to the quaint surroundings outside.
• Eerste Anjeliersdwarsstraat 5, +31 20 681 4567, kochxbos.nl, free admission. Open Wed-Sat 1pm-6pm

Kulter

This self-described "tasting room" (or proeflokaal in Dutch) is definitely worth the cycle or tram ride out to Amsterdam's newest art-buzz neighbourhood, Bos en Lommer. Based in the ground floor of a corner house in a purely residential street, it specialises in bridging art with performance, music and words and as a collective that organises events in collaboration with other artist-run initiatives. But perhaps Kulter's true accomplishment is the creation of a relaxed and homely atmosphere, right down to the servings of bread and homemade soup on the stove at openings. The art, and the artists, are extremely accessible and very international. Shows tend to involve recent academy graduates of all disciplines and nationalities, as exemplified by the site-specific installations, drawings, performances and paintings from the multicultural and nomadic Palatti collective.
• Sanderijnstraat 21, +31 61 740 4955 (SMS in advance to check),kulter.nl, free admission. Open Mon-Tues, Thur 9am-2pm, Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 3pm-6pm

Mediamatic

Photograph: Willem Velthoven

In a large exhibition space in a charmingly decaying former bank building, Mediamatic explores the influence of new technologies and media on culture and society through intriguing exhibitions, workshops, lectures and film screenings. Its exploits include the already-legendary interactive Arcade show, which traced the development of the gaming industry – from Pong through handhelds to motion-activated consoles – with plenty of playable examples; a fixed-gear biking exhibition replete with a race track through the gallery; and Pièce de Résistance, which asked visitors to submit personal souvenirs that exemplify a revolutionary event, from the second world war up to the present day – think leaflets, photos, posters or, perhaps, the occasional brick. 
• Vijzelstraat 68, +31 20 427 4137, mediamatic.net, admission prices vary with event. Open Mon-Fri 1pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 1pm-6pm (times often vary by exhibition)

P/////akt

Photograph: Jean Bernard Koeman

Opened in 2003, this east-side gallery maintains an "anything goes" attitude, encouraging site-specific work and stimulating the artists to incorporate the full scope of the space's whitewashed walls into their work. In 2010 the gallery completed the series Space Is A Word, a three-part examination of art as a mental space – rather than physical – that featured large canvases from Gino Saccone, Jean Bernard Koeman's architectural models and Frederik van Simaey's playfully existential installations, including a striking sculpture of folding beds, bikes and ladders. Debate, performance and book launches are also part of this gallery's mandate as it seeks to bridge the gap between the art, the artist and the public. 
• Zeeburgerpad 53, +31 20 468 8395, pakt.nu, free admission. Open Thu-Sun 2pm-6pm

Smart Project Space

Situated in Amsterdam's hip Oud-West neighbourhood and occupying a foreboding brick building that used to house an anatomical pathology laboratory, this project space offers art alongside a lot more. The film programming is impressive: multiple rooms screen a well-selected assortment of arthouse flicks from around the world, mostly subtitled in English. Dinner and drinks are on offer in Lab 111, which offers visitors the opportunity to dine on a converted dissection table under surgical lights – surprisingly, an experience that's not as strange as it sounds. Studios are provided for a fortunate few, who use this multi-disciplinary playground for work; and lastly, of course, there are the galleries – spacious, bright rooms that accommodate a varied programme featuring local as well as international young talent. In 2011 these galleries hosted the finalists of the Prix de Rome competition, won by Finnish new media artist Pilvi Takala. 
• Arie Biemondstraat 105-113, +31 20 427 5951, smartprojectspace.net, admission prices vary with event. Open Mon-Sat noon-10pm, Sun 2pm-10pm; cinema open Mon-Thu, Sun 8pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 8pm-2am; Lab111 open Mon-Sun noon-1am, Fri-Sat noon-3am

Upstream Gallery

Upstream Gallery opened its doors in November 2003, since when the space has been exhibiting an exhilarating mix of contemporary art from the Netherlands and abroad. The general vibe is straightforward and in-your-face – and the gallery is aptly sited in the gentrified, but still cool, De Pijp neighbourhood. Past shows have featured the monolithic concrete and glass sculptures by Cristian Andersen; stop-motion nightmares from Cristóbal León; and installation, video and photographs from Katrina Daschner such as the sexually charged Murderess series featuring hooded, axe-wielding women in bleak, wintry forests. A memorable recent installation from the ever-electrifying Marc Bijldisplayed a mesmerising, life-sized black Christ standing upon a stack of white painted pallets, hands outstretched, epoxy dripping like melting wax from arms, hands and face. The work here is always at an intense level. 
• Van Ostadestraat 294, +31 20 428 4284, upstreamgallery.nl, free admission. Open Wed-Sat 1pm-6pm and by appointment

W139

Photograph: Henni van Beek

Sex, drugs and art make familiar bedfellows, and they all contributed to the formation of this gallery in the heart of Amsterdam's infamous red light district. Originally a theatre, the space was squatted in 1979 by five young artists in need of a place to show their work. Painting, performances and punk rock were to be the beginning of one the city's most original hubs of artistic endeavour. More than 30 years later, it still maintains some of its worn industrial demeanour, while scrubbing up to carry a clean museum vibe whenever necessary. With room for gigs, exhibitions, book launches, parties, film and debates touching on hot topics such as the uneasy relationship between politics and art, W139 is perpetually in motion, frequented by skinny-trousered hipsters, bespectacled geeks and paint-spattered freaks alike. And who knows, the tattooed girl that's selling you a book at their kiosk one week might be exhibiting at one of the city's blockbuster museums the next. 
• Warmoesstraat 139, +31 20 622 9434, w139.nl, admission prices vary with event. Open Mon-Sun noon-6pm

• Russell Joyce is an editor of Unfold Amsterdam, a poster publication and website about what's on in Amsterdam