de Appel has been preoccupied with questions around (art) economy, hoping to shift the discourse from a purely financial perspective to a more cultural and critical one. Central to this inquiry is the challenge of a redistribution of resources — from a capitalist, market-driven model to one rooted in commonist principles. Rather than accepting economic structures as fixed, de Appel, along with artists, seeks to explore how artistic practice can reimagine and intervene in systems of exchange. One such initiative is de Appel Kiosk: a platform where artists and collectives develop and sell merchandise as a means of interrogating and experimenting with alternative economies. The Kiosk serves not only as a site of commerce but also as a space for reflecting on the dynamics of exchange, value, and reciprocity within street market economies. It is also a way to reach out to an audience which might not necessarily come to de Appel, in an environment which is not explicitly art-related, but nevertheless as culturally rich and generative (if not more).

The Kiosk will return to Dappermarkt and Albert Cuypmarkt in July this year. Three proposals have been selected from an open call: Buurtijs by Honey Jones-Hughes & Antonio de la Hera, Social B̶a̶n̶k̶ by Saemundur Thor Helgason and de aardAppel by Özgür Atlagan & Ulufer Çelik.

Social B̶a̶n̶k̶ by Saemundur Thor Helgason
8, 9, 15 and 16 July (between 10am and 5pm) at Dappermarkt

Buurtijs by Honey Jones-Hughes & Antonio de la Hera
11, 12 and 24 July (between 10am and 5pm) at Albert Cuypmarkt
25 July (between 10am and 5pm) at Dappermarkt

de aardAppel by Özgür Atlagan & Ulufer Çelik
18, 19, 25 and 26 July (between 10am and 5pm) at Dappermarkt
Joined by Clara Aramburo and Emiel Wolf on 25 July; joined by Michael Lewis on 26 July

Social B̶a̶n̶k̶* by artist Saemundur Thor Helgason is a functional proposition which imagines an alternative to profit-driven banks. Taking the form of a pop-up on Dappermarkt in Amsterdam-Oost, the Social B̶a̶n̶k̶ offers interest-free loans to the market’s visitors. Passersby (aged 21+) can choose an amount of €50, €100, €150, or €200 to be repaid in 3 monthly instalments. As the borrower, you sign a contract, giving consent to a direct debit for monthly payments, issued by the Social B̶a̶n̶k̶.

Donations from art organisations, companies and individuals fund the Social B̶a̶n̶k̶. For its inauguration, the bank will be supported by de Appel in Amsterdam and presented at the de Appel Kiosk. The bank will continue to exist and grow according to the donations it receives. The aim is to redistribute the wealth circulating in the art world, investing it directly in the dreams and needs of the people.

The loans are based entirely on mutual trust. There will be no negative consequences for late payments. Every euro repaid is recycled through the Social B̶a̶n̶k̶, becoming an opportunity for someone else to borrow. The trust-based loans ask for a level of social responsibility from the borrower, while respecting the challenges of making ends meet in an increasingly precarious society.

Social B̶a̶n̶k̶ is an exercise in imagining a future of socially responsible banks and how they could enrich people’s livelihoods. The artwork asks what role banks play and the purpose they serve in our societies. Can banks operate without profit? What happens when interests of banks lie elsewhere than in financial gain? As the Social Bank poses these questions it states the urgent need for alternatives to profit-driven banks.

*Pursuant to the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht), it is prohibited for anyone to use the word ‘bank’ or any translation or derivative thereof in their name or in the course of their business activities, unless they hold a license as a banking institution. SB foundation is not yet a Social Bank, but a financial service providing interest-free loans. Social B̶a̶n̶k̶ is an artwork by Saemundur Thor Helgason.

For de Appel Kiosk, the artists have adapted Buurtijs (2020-22), an ongoing project that questions ‘local’ and ‘ethical’ food production through the making and selling of ice cream. From the outset, the project was an experiment towards selling ice cream as a way to financially support the practice of artistic research. Over time the price of the ice cream fluctuated before settling in a solidarity model — where customers bought ice cream for the same wage as they themselves earned. During their time on the market the artists will be further developing their solidarity payment structure with the use of an interactive pinboard that displays transactions in real-time, effectively exposing all previous transactions to participants, passersby and curious customers. The artists invite you to think about how alternative ways of thinking about value could apply empathy and access to food producers, while savouring a real ‘Amsterdam’ flavour ice cream.

de aardAppel is a hybrid stall consisting of a micro-publishing house and a potato-salad-kiosk. Over two weeks, the artists will offer different potato salad recipes for €2,-, or in exchange for a ‘potato anecdote’. The artists will also be offering stories from the social history of potatoes. At the end of the two weeks, recipes, anecdotes and stories will be bundled as a zine using a mimeograph machine. Santiago Pinyol from Escuela de Garage will contribute with a text to the zine. This manual printer is a non-electric printing device used by dissident organisations from the 1920s-80s. Revenue from potato salad sales will contribute to the zine production and the earnings from the zine sales will be shared with contributors. There will also be hosted activities for children

On Friday 25 July, de aardAppel is joined by Clara Aramburo and Emiel Wolf from 4Siblings Collective, who join the stall to discuss matters around land and growing potatoes. On Saturday 26 July, Michael Lewis will join the stall to speak about his experience with the use of mimeograph machines.