Art & culture

The New Art Space Amsterdam N.A.S.A. – formerly known as Smart Project Space -  is a contemporary art center: a center because it houses a restaurant, a cinema and an exhibition space for contemporary art. All of them would actually deserve an article on their own. And all of them cover something quite unique in Amsterdam. Well, there are art house cinemas in Amsterdam. There is even EYE with its own programming covering pretty much everything which is not shown in the other art house centers.

Still NASA has its own programming, different from the rest: screening films which are closely connected to the art scene, and/or have its own idiosyncratic qualities. Just recently I’ve watched the documentary about Ai Wei Wei, and the one about Sol LeWitt is on my list.

The restaurant is nice, stylish but not stiff, a meeting place for the people who are around NASA, artists, culturally interested, or neighbourhood folks. The menu sounds really good, but as I am not such a foodie, I haven’t been eating there yet.

The picture above is taken at the latest exhibition “the dark universe” which was a great exhibition about light art/installations. Now there is another exhibition, with a more theoretical approach, based on the correspondence archive of the late Dutch anarchist Karl Max Kreuger.

Born and raised in the centre of town, I find myself often taking the ferry to the other side of the IJ to clear my head. Pllek is a great cultural hangout in the North, close to Noorderlicht (another favorite spot of mine). It’s like a beach joint minus the beach crowd – a safe haven in between all the huge industrial constructions and rusty boats at the NDSM shipyard.

Pllek is continuously in development (they’ve secured the spot for the next ten years!). New colorful sea containers are added to the U-shaped cluster all the time. It’s like a playground. The restaurant is airy and rugged as well as classy, and they already have the best terrace this side of town. It’s right by the water and the sun hits from dawn till dusk – make sure to lather up on sunscreen and bring your swim gear just in case. The first time I went I unexpectedly stayed for hours and left looking quite lobster-esque.

Pllek offers (mostly organic) food, music, art and outdoor cinema as well as tai chi and yoga, and they’re open all year. They’re as open-minded as its vista. Imagine campfires and troubadours with guitars in summer, and wind and waves beating outside in winter. It’s also close to the IJhallen flea market and where the Over het IJ theatre festival is held in July each year. It’s worth the trek over anytime just so you can experience the city from the other side for once.  

It took a while, but Amsterdam finally has a cinema museum again. I have to admit I was a little skeptical of the move because the old film museum was so iconic and pretty and its velvety seats were tattered, and that’s how I like watching my movies. But the first time I set foot in EYE (let’s not get started on the name, and let’s definitely not get started on the whole ownership-thing) I was blown out of my ruby slippers.

Could it be we’re finally playing with the big boys? The museum exudes international flair. It’s big, it’s white and it’s nondescript (is it a crocodile? is it a whale? is it a wink? who cares) and I like it. The banks along the IJ are finally throwing off their casts and revealing the bigger plan. Located right opposite Central Station, easily accessible by ferry, EYE is in efflorescent Amsterdam-Noord – check out some of the other articles in the area for some off-the-beaten track strolling.

Inside, the museum offers something for everybody – you can have food and drinks on the huge terrace overlooking the water and wave at the cruise ships or visit the exhibitions or their extensive library. They also have four screening rooms (with brand new chairs!) that show classics, specials and new releases besides hosting cinema concerts and cult evenings. Or you could just run up and down their grand staircases endlessly. The main hall is so exuberantly big you’ll want to play.

Book stores are disappearing throughout Amsterdam, and magazine publishers are shutting down by the drones. In the age of e-readers, it’s a joy that a traditional book store such as Athenaeum – housed in one of the prettiest buildings right in the centre of Amsterdam – is still around. I love the feeling of leafing through freshly printed paper. The smell as well!

The great thing about Athenaeum is that they have a lot of choice without being totally overwhelming or overly commercial. The people that work there really know their way around and they can find you pretty much anything you need – from philosophy to poetry to recent fiction. They have a really decent English department, too.

Next door to the main book store there’s a separate section that focuses solely on magazines. It’s here that I mostly end up, as they sell almost every magazine under the sun, even independent ones like the awesome cinema mag Little White Lies or the awesome McSweeney’s Lucky Peach, which are hard to get by elsewhere in the city.

Athenaeum works because it’s not trying too hard to be cutting edge – it sticks to what it’s been doing for ages, and does it well.

Toko MC is a mix of a lot of different things. It’s a restaurant, a bar, and a theatre but you can also go dancing here and they also have art exhibitions. I love the bar for a drink in day- or nighttime, and have had some great parties here.

The parties are good because they usually feel like being at someones houseparty, a real mix of different people dancing and having fun. Also I love the interior, everything is just really laidback. 

If you are hungry, please try the peanut soup! It’s very very tasty!

The theater is also worth visiting. Check the website for events like concerts, parties, exhibitions and theatershows.