“Contemporary art means everything and nothing at the same time” - Wildrik Batjes.
Wildrik Batjes is a Director and Partner of the MSK Eastside Gallery. Since its establishment, MSK Eastside Gallery has identified and cultivated the careers of visionary Moscow-based artists.
The gallery has built a reputation for supporting and discovering artists working across disciplines, from painting to graffiti writing, with a challenging form of creative expression. Working closely with intellectuals in the field, MSK Eastside is committed to presenting its artists’ works on an international scale.
Active in both the primary and secondary markets, gallerist Wildrik Batjes and the MSK Eastside Gallery team have been a major force in serving as a unique platform to exhibit and expose their works that possess an extraordinary vision.
The gallery first opened in Moscow's Eastside district of Baumanskaya in early 2012. In January 2016, a second gallery space opened in Moscow central's new cultural hub of Bolshaya Nikitskaya.
MSK has also curated and produced multiple exhibitions for the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow Museum, and Center for Contemporary Art. The gallery owns a major collection of graffiti and post-graffiti art, platinum and palladium photography, mixed media, paintings, and installations. The gallery was active with auction houses such as Phillips NYC, Christie’s Paris, and ArtCurial Paris.
The gallery has built a reputation for supporting and discovering artists working across disciplines, from painting to graffiti writing, with a challenging form of creative expression. Working closely with intellectuals in the field, MSK Eastside is committed to presenting its artists’ works on an international scale.
Active in both the primary and secondary markets, gallerist Wildrik Batjes and the MSK Eastside Gallery team have been a major force in serving as a unique platform to exhibit and expose their works that possess an extraordinary vision.
The gallery first opened in Moscow's Eastside district of Baumanskaya in early 2012. In January 2016, a second gallery space opened in Moscow central's new cultural hub of Bolshaya Nikitskaya.
MSK has also curated and produced multiple exhibitions for the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow Museum, and Center for Contemporary Art. The gallery owns a major collection of graffiti and post-graffiti art, platinum and palladium photography, mixed media, paintings, and installations. The gallery was active with auction houses such as Phillips NYC, Christie’s Paris, and ArtCurial Paris.
iPremium DD: What does “contemporary art” mean to you?
W.B.: It means everything and nothing at the same time because i sometimes feel that the words “contemporary art” are just an umbrella under which many people are hiding. I don't wanna sound negative because I’m far from that and a very positive person but the main essence or beauty of these words sometimes gets lost in translation. To me contemporary art is a revolution of the traditional way of classical representations. A wide and rich diversity and depth of the art movements. But one could argue with me and define contemporary art in several different ways.
iPremium DD: How do you select artists for your galleries?
W.B.: It means everything and nothing at the same time because i sometimes feel that the words “contemporary art” are just an umbrella under which many people are hiding. I don't wanna sound negative because I’m far from that and a very positive person but the main essence or beauty of these words sometimes gets lost in translation. To me contemporary art is a revolution of the traditional way of classical representations. A wide and rich diversity and depth of the art movements. But one could argue with me and define contemporary art in several different ways.
iPremium DD: How do you select artists for your galleries?
W.B.: I mean, since its establishment, MSK Eastside Gallery has identified and cultivated the careers of visionary Moscow based artists. The gallery has built a reputation for supporting and discovering artists working across disciplines from painting to graffiti writing with a challenging form of creative expression. We are Working closely with intellectuals in the field and our gallery is committed to presenting its artists’ works on an international scale even now. With the help of our two curators we’re really keeping the selection based on what we appreciate and believe in staying far away from hype. Details and quality of production plans of development of the potential artists are also of big importance to me, not mentioning the fact that our gallery mostly work as a big family and artists as well as gallery team have to feel trust, mutual respect and fun while we all work together.
iPremium DD: What are the main trends in the “art field” nowadays?
W.B.: There are so many new trends but I’m maybe not the right person to ask such question as i m trying to stay away of trends and try to stick to a long development, what is trendy in 2024 might be over in 2026 , and that's not what i wanna offer to clients trusting me with their purchases and collections. More than trends in art I would probably talk about new directions such as more sustainable art with some african artists setting the pace , El Anatsui or Ghada Amer to mention only them. Ethical and social thematics are as well to me on the rise. AI is also a trend .
iPremium DD: If not art, what would you do?
W.B.: Difficult question , maybe I would be a publisher! Publish art books, it enables people to discover art and it is important at the same time because it’s leaving a trace, a memory. Books to me mean memories unlimited in time. And transmission to others is pleasure. After more than fifteen years in art, I don't think I would be able to do something not bringing me as much pleasure as dealing art.
iPremium DD: What is your opinion - is art a “must” for the interior?
W.B.: 100% no doubt ! Of course, according to the design of the interior a well curated and selected selection of works mixing paintings , sculptures and objects. I really love mixing aesthetics and periods, playing around interior design. To me great references of such a mix was French interior designer Henri Samuel or in Peter Marino’s interior. Samuel was probably even one of the first to hang paintings on the ceilings as he did in the smoking room of his parisian apartment , a perfect mix of Past and Present. I grew up surrounded by two opposite visions of interior design , nordic minimalism in the Netherlands and Parisian interior aesthetics, till today I guess it allows me to mix and match influences and moods in our various projects of public and private spaces. A space without art is a space without a soul, but again, that is my personal appreciation :)
iPremium DD: Who are your favourite “timeless” and modern authors/artists?
W.B.: For timeless authors I guess, I would focus on painters from the Tenebrism movement such as Caravaggio , Rembrandt or George de la Tour. Regarding modern artists the list can get very long, but i would probably pay a specific attention to the Lalanne(s), various artists from “Ecole de Nice” , artists from the Arte Povera movement , American Abstract expressionist movement and Modernist painters and sculptors. By the way, the current exhibition of Brancusi at the Pompidou is outstanding. As for contemporary artists i really appreciate the works of Alex Kuznetsov, Zak and Ja’bagh Kaghado, Buren, Misha Most, Marat Danilyan “Morik” , Valery Koshlyakov, Harland Miller, Sasha Viner Workshop and all the artists we represent at the gallery , if they were not my favourites we would not have such fruitful collaborations over the years.
W.B.: There are so many new trends but I’m maybe not the right person to ask such question as i m trying to stay away of trends and try to stick to a long development, what is trendy in 2024 might be over in 2026 , and that's not what i wanna offer to clients trusting me with their purchases and collections. More than trends in art I would probably talk about new directions such as more sustainable art with some african artists setting the pace , El Anatsui or Ghada Amer to mention only them. Ethical and social thematics are as well to me on the rise. AI is also a trend .
iPremium DD: If not art, what would you do?
W.B.: Difficult question , maybe I would be a publisher! Publish art books, it enables people to discover art and it is important at the same time because it’s leaving a trace, a memory. Books to me mean memories unlimited in time. And transmission to others is pleasure. After more than fifteen years in art, I don't think I would be able to do something not bringing me as much pleasure as dealing art.
iPremium DD: What is your opinion - is art a “must” for the interior?
W.B.: 100% no doubt ! Of course, according to the design of the interior a well curated and selected selection of works mixing paintings , sculptures and objects. I really love mixing aesthetics and periods, playing around interior design. To me great references of such a mix was French interior designer Henri Samuel or in Peter Marino’s interior. Samuel was probably even one of the first to hang paintings on the ceilings as he did in the smoking room of his parisian apartment , a perfect mix of Past and Present. I grew up surrounded by two opposite visions of interior design , nordic minimalism in the Netherlands and Parisian interior aesthetics, till today I guess it allows me to mix and match influences and moods in our various projects of public and private spaces. A space without art is a space without a soul, but again, that is my personal appreciation :)
iPremium DD: Who are your favourite “timeless” and modern authors/artists?
W.B.: For timeless authors I guess, I would focus on painters from the Tenebrism movement such as Caravaggio , Rembrandt or George de la Tour. Regarding modern artists the list can get very long, but i would probably pay a specific attention to the Lalanne(s), various artists from “Ecole de Nice” , artists from the Arte Povera movement , American Abstract expressionist movement and Modernist painters and sculptors. By the way, the current exhibition of Brancusi at the Pompidou is outstanding. As for contemporary artists i really appreciate the works of Alex Kuznetsov, Zak and Ja’bagh Kaghado, Buren, Misha Most, Marat Danilyan “Morik” , Valery Koshlyakov, Harland Miller, Sasha Viner Workshop and all the artists we represent at the gallery , if they were not my favourites we would not have such fruitful collaborations over the years.
iPremium DD: What would you wish for young artists?
W.B.: I would tell them: stay free, build a name, stay clean, make the right choices to protect your works and don’t think of making a bunch of fast money. It is important to think long term development. I would also advise them to spend less time on their instagrams and more time producing new artworks in their studios))) and the most important - enjoy what you do, freedom has no equal.
W.B.: I would tell them: stay free, build a name, stay clean, make the right choices to protect your works and don’t think of making a bunch of fast money. It is important to think long term development. I would also advise them to spend less time on their instagrams and more time producing new artworks in their studios))) and the most important - enjoy what you do, freedom has no equal.
