Strangely Familiar – solo at Looiersgracht 60

Looiersgracht 60 is pleased to share that forthcoming October, Dutch artist Aldo Bakker returns to Looiersgracht 60 with a major new solo exhibition, titled Strangely Familiar.

The exhibition marks a decisive new chapter in the development of his longstanding oeuvre, following his solo exhibition Containing Content held at Looiersgracht 60 in 2015. 

Rather than resolving problems, as design is so often expected to do, Bakker’s extensive oeuvre defies categorical associations and established conventions. While Containing Content centred on five pouring vessels that operated as individual protagonists within the expansive space, uncovering the tension between function and form, Strangely Familiar both builds upon and departs from that initial inquiry. Moving beyond the intimate presence of these vessels, a new sculptural body of work – increasingly large in scale – takes over the former factory floors and is presented publicly for the very first time.

In Strangely Familiar, objects enter fully into their own terms, liberating themselves entirely from questions of functionality and conditions of legitimacy. Scale becomes a means of release. In a carefully balanced performance, forces of line, mass, colour and texture gradually assert themselves into being with greater autonomy, eventually entering into dialogue with their environment.

More than ten years after Containing Content, this renewed collaboration brings Bakker back to Looiersgracht 60 in a setting that is both familiar and newly transformed. We look forward to celebrating the artist's return to Looiersgracht 60 with you.

Save the Date: 
Exhibition Opening 24 October, 16:00 - 19:00 

The show runs from Sunday, October 25 until December 23, 2026 and is interwoven with an engaging public programme. More information will be announced soon, please keep an eye on our website.

The exhibition is curated by Soraya Notoadikusumo and Nadine Snijders, founders of Looiersgracht 60 and is accompanied by an in-depth essay written by Prof. Dr Frits Scholten. 

Image design by
Studio Veronica Ditting

Opening hours
Wednesday – Sunday 12–8pm
(during exhibitions)