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The Daily Eckardt: Erik Kessels

Erik Kessels was born 1966 in Roermond, Netherlands and is the Creative Director and co-founder of the Amsterdam advertising agency KesselsKramer, where he is in charge of such international accounts as Diesel, Oxfam or Ben. Following the principle that any medium, as long as it is relevant to an idea, is a potential for communication for a brand and its products or services, KesselsKramer’s portfolio ranges from ‘classical’ advertising to publishing and documentary film.

Erik Kessels, Berlin, 2010 (© Marc Eckardt)

In 2007 KesselsKramer established a branch in London, the KK Outlet. Just like the parent agency, the London office is not just an advertising agency, but also houses a gallery. For apart from his agency work, Erik Kessels is also an avid collector of photography who has published a number of volumes with photographs from his collection, among them the photo series »Instant Men Wonder« and »2 Kilo of KesselsKramer«. Since 2000 he has also been publishing the alternative photo magazine »Useful Photography« and acts as curator for numerous exhibitions. Erik Kessels has three children and lives in Amsterdam.

Erik Kessels wurde 1966 im niederländischen Roermond geboren und ist Gründer und Kreativdirektor der Werbeagentur KesselsKramer in Amsterdam. In seine Zuständigkeit fallen Diesel, Oxfam, Ben und andere internationale Accounts. Dem Prinzip folgend, dass jedes Medium, wenn es für eine Idee relevant ist, Marken- und Produktkommunikation leisten kann, bietet KesselsKramer ein Portfolio aus ‚klassischer’ Werbung, Publikation und Dokumentarfilm. Seit 2007 ist KesselsKramer mit der Agentur und Galerie KK Outlet auch in London vertreten. Erik Kessels ist ein begeisterter Sammler fotografischer Werke, publizierte »Instant Men Wonder«, »2 Kilo of KesselsKramer« und andere Fotografiebände und kuratierte mehrere Ausstellungen. Seit 2000 ist er Herausgeber des alternativen Fotomagazins »Useful Photography«. Erik Kessels hat drei Kinder und lebt in Amsterdam.

♥ www.kesselskramer.com

Erik Kessels

Designer, Artist, Curator (Amsterdam)

Born in 1966, lives and works in Amsterdam. Erik Kessels is a Dutch artist, designer and curator with great interest in photography. Erik Kessels is since 1996 Creative Director of communications agency KesselsKramer in Amsterdam and works for national and international clients such as Nike, Diesel, J&B Whisky, Oxfam, Ben, Vitra, Citizen M and The Hans Brinker Budget Hotel. As an artist and photography curator Kessels has published over 50 books of his 're-appropriated' images: Missing Links (1999), The Instant Men (2000), in almost every picture (2001-2015) and Wonder (2006). Since 2000, he has been an editor of the alternative photography magazine Useful Photography. For the DVD art project Loud & Clear he worked together with artists such as Marlene Dumas and Candice Breitz. Kessels writes regular editorials for numerous international magazines. He lectured at the D&AD Presidents Lecture and at several international design conferences such as in Singapore, Goa, NY, Toronto and Bangkok. He has taught at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Amsterdam), Écal (Lausanne) and at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture where he curated a celebration of amateurism. Kessels made and curated exhibitions such as Loving Your Pictures, Use me Abuse me, 24HRS of Photos, Album Beauty and Unfinished Father . He als co-curated an exhibition called From Here on together with Martin Parr, Joachim Schmid, Clement Cheroux and Joan Fontuberta. In 2010 Kessels was awarded with the Amsterdam Prize of the Arts, in 2016 nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and is often seen as the most influential creative of The Netherlands.