Melting under the worst heatwave in recent memory (thanks to climate change!), it is a refreshing privilege to be invited to visit Amsterdam and experience firsthand the foundational spirit of a project like Moco. The Modern Contemporary Museum, which opened its doors in 2016, is located in one of the city’s most vibrant art districts, the Museumplein, near major museums like the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum. The museum itself is housed in a villa designed in 1904 by Eduard Cuypers, which exudes art from every corner.
In the midst of music festival season, it is fascinating to delve into a project whose exhibition line directly appeals to showcasing artists who have, are, and will be as iconic as rock stars. The promoters? Lionel and Kim Logchies, owners of LionelGallery, have spent over two decades attracting a young, broad, and international audience to display the works of pioneering and leading figures in modern contemporary creation. This club includes artists from Picasso to Koons, Hirst to Basquiat. “We use the voice of the street and the power of art to challenge the established, support the authentic, open minds, and question the world around us.”
Everything at Moco has a purpose, an energy born from a sense of inclusion, inspiration, and hope. Moco serves as a magnet for those who have never visited a museum and who view art as a driver of cultural transgression and collaboration to change the future. It is not just about contemplating and reflecting on the work but generating opinions that lead to action. A practical example is the Moco Boat, a sustainable and eco-friendly boat that cruises the canals of Amsterdam, combined with museum admission, illustrating that a visit can extend far beyond the time spent in the gallery. Nothing is more mobilizing than exhibitions like The Future Is Old, where hyperrealist artist The Kid questions current political and social history and the stance that youth will take to confront it, or NFT Exhibition, the NewFuTure, which addresses the challenges digital art presents in the present and immediate future.
Like the best rock tours, international tours soon follow. With the same spirit of opening spaces once reserved for elites to the urban public, Moco Barcelona opened its doors in October 2021 in the Palacio Cervelló in the Born district. Like its Dutch counterpart, the gallery features works by masters such as Warhol, Banksy, Haring, KAWS, and Kusama. It also gives space to immersive digital art by teamLab and the first European exhibition of Guillermo Lorca, where the contemporary Chilean artist combines magic and realism in Splendor of the Night.
But this is not the end, because it’s not just “In art we trust,” as Lionel and Kim Logchies proclaim. It’s also “The show must go on.” Moco envisions itself as a project that wants to be the voice of the street, a global stage to present artists who leave a lasting impact on visitors and drive them to change the world.