About — Gijs van den Berg
Gijs van den Berg creates work that challenges how we see everyday reality. As creative director and partner at KesselsKramer, he combines hands-on craft with conceptual thinking - whether he's developing campaigns, building tools, or solving creative emergencies for clients across Amsterdam, London, and Los Angeles. He believes in getting his hands dirty. When photographing Amsterdam's last traditional coffeehouses, he developed the prints using coffee from each location. When clients need brand consistency, he builds them custom tools. When campaigns need fresh thinking, he works across disciplines - writing, designing, shooting, and coding until it clicks. His work has found homes in unexpected places: breaking a Guinness World Record for organ donation, hanging in the Reina Sofia Museum, earning an Effie award, and being nominated for the Sony World Photography Award. It's also part of the permanent collection at Moti Graphic Design and has been featured at Photoville Festival in Brooklyn. At 168cm tall in a country of giants, he's learned to stand out through creativity rather than stature. Like his surname "van den Berg" (mountain) in the flattest country on earth, his work finds ways to rise above conventions while keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
2010
MuseumN8
Group exhibition
De Balie, Amsterdam
2012
Slideluck Potshow
Group exhibition
Oude Kerk, Amsterdam
2015
Gewoon Koffie
Solo exhibition
Volkshotel, Amsterdam
2015
Malmo Fotobienal
Photofestival
Malmö, Sweden
2015
Schijt aan de Grens
Group exhibition
Vierlingsbeek, The Netherlands
2016
Gewoon Koffie
Solo exhibition
Quartier Putain, Amsterdam
2016
Modern Love
Group exhibition
KK Outlet, London
2016
Cutting Edges
Group exhibition
Kaunas, lituania
2016
Eye See Sound
Group exhibition
Studio de Keuken, Amsterdam
2017
Cutting Edges
FORMAT17: Habitat
Quad Museum – Derby, UK
2017
Sony World Photo Awards
Nomination Still Life
Somerset House – London, UK
2017
Spitting Image
Festival - Schijt aan de Grens
Geijsteren, the Netherlands
2018
Souvenirs from the Sun
Solo Exhibition
The Print Space – London, UK
2019
New Amsterdam Coffeehouse
Photo festival
Photoville, New York, USA
2019
Spitting Image
Group exhibition
Vans Boutique, London
2014
Straattaal
Editorial
Parool PS magazine
2015
Gewoon Koffie
Editorial
Het Parool
2016
Pizza Economy
Editorial
Verzameling, Het Parool
2017
Stadstrappertjes
Editorial
Parool PS magazine
2017
Dit is Nederland
Editorial
Vrij Nederland
2017
Hashtag Holiday
Article
Vrij Nederland
2020
25 jaar KesselsKramer
Interview
Het Parool
2023
Interview
Slanted Magazine
2024
Editorial
EW Magazine
2010
Teach Me / KK Holiday in Venice
Venice (IT)
2011
Citymarketing CCCB
Barcelona (ES)
2011
AKV St.Joost
Breda
2015
ABN Amro & Culture
Amsterdam
2017
Masterclass
for Voordekunst
2017
BNO x Dutch Design week
Eindhoven
2019
DEPT
Rotterdam
2019
Centraal Museum
Utrecht
2021
OFFF
Sevilla, Spain
2022
Serifelaris
Getxo, Spain
2023
OFFF
Barcelona, Spain
2024
Creative Express
Lisbon, Portugal
2024
ADC*E OneClub Festival
Barcelona, Spain