Nienke van der Wal
I co-founded Young Collectors Circle with Nadine van den Bosch in 2015. Young Collectors Circle was initiated by a non-profit organization called Art Projects, of which I am the director. In 2022, I stepped down as the director of Young Collectors Circle, which means that I am now only involved in Young Collectors Circle on a strategic level. I occasionally present panels and the podcast for Young Collectors Circle, which I enjoy doing and also do for a number of other art world clients.
Art
I collect mostly emerging, female artists who have a story to tell - it makes a lot of sense for me to collect artists of my own generation, who are dealing with the same issues as I am. At first this was not a conscious choice, but after a few years I saw this theme in almost all the works I bought. Now it is something I actively seek out: it is not a rule set in stone, but it is part of the consideration. I have collected works in various media by artists such as Sarah Naqvi, Hiba Schahbaz, Jennifer Tee, Afra Eisma, Caroline Walker, Kiana Girigorie, Turiya Magadlela, Charlotte Dumas, and many others.
Tips for 2022
I am very curious to see Kara Walker at Museum de Pont. Hito Steyerl at the Stedelijk I thought was great. I am looking forward to Silvia Martes at the Van Abbemuseum. Also on my calendar: Louise Bourgeois at the Hayward Gallery and Kehinde Wiley at the National Gallery, both in London, and Barbara Kruger at MoMA New York.
Fun Fact
I am a mother of a daughter who loves art but sighs very deeply when we go to visit a museum (but always enjoys it anyway).