About

Frits Berends, born in 1955 in Schiedam, the Netherlands, is a self-taught artist. He is currently based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

For Berends creating a painting is a dive into his past and a recording of day-to-day life. His paintings, equivalent to a diary, are influenced by memories that evoke a profound sense of nostalgia, always with a human element.

Berends employs a wide range of references from everyday life, history, snapshots from travels and family photo albums. Experimenting with various materials and techniques, he explores themes like love, youth and memory. His work may be described as figurative but often verges on abstraction. Renowned for his incongruous and quietly unsettling portrayal of our collective surroundings and history, Frits draws on found images from newspapers, magazines, the internet, and his personal surroundings.

Applying paint in layers, he scrapes, revises, and repaints his compositions, blurring the lines between abstraction and figuration, creating a blend of personal and historical memory. Working between different mediums with an attitude of creative freedom, his paintings delve into the collective consciousness of humanity, resonating with his exploratory spirit. Always moving on, restless mind and body, searching for the truth in art and life.

Shows

2020, “El Sueño Americano”, Bambino, Amsterdam

2020, “Eat your Art out” at a selection of restaurants in Amsterdam

2021, “There will be Light”, O.S.1, Amsterdam

2021, “Nightbirds and Barflies” at Luuks, Amsterdam

2022, “Into the Abyss” at Coulisse, Amsterdam

Press

December 18, 2021, 3 pages in “Het Parool”, newspaper:

March 2020, Article in “Vogue Living”, magazine: