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 re-distribution of resources – from a capitalist, market-driven model to one rooted in equality and commonist principles. Rather than accepting economic structures as fixed, along with artists de Appel seeks to explore how artistic practice can reimagine and intervene in systems of exchange. One such initiative is the 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 is 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 Bank by Saemundur Thor Helgason and de aardAppel by Özgür Atlagan & Ulufer Çelik.

Stiching SB 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
On 26 July, de aardAppel is joined by Clara Aramburo and Emiel Wolf from 4Siblings Collective

Stichting SB by artist Saemundur Thor Helgason is a functional proposition, imagining alternatives to profit driven banks. Taking the form of a pop up on Dappermarkt in east Amsterdam, Stichting SB​ will offer interest free loans to the market’s visitors. Passersby that are over 21 can choose between €50, €100, €200 and €250 interest free loans that can be repaid in 12 installments. The loanee signs a contract, giving consent to a direct debit, issued by Stichting SB​. Donations from art organisations, companies and individuals serve as the foundation of Stichting SB​. For its inauguration, the bank will be supported by de Appel Kiosk.

The artwork redistributes the wealth that circulates in the art world, investing it directly in the dreams and needs of the people of the Dappermarkt, while stimulating the market’s economy. The work is entirely based on trust. There will be no negative consequences for late payments. If at some point the loanee experiences difficulty in repaying the loan, the bank will find a solution together with the loanee. This trust-based loan asks for a level of social responsibility of the loanee, while respecting the challenges of making ends meet in an increasingly precarious late capitalist society.

Stichting SB​ is an exercise in imagining a future of socially responsible banks and how those may enrich people's livelihoods. As a functional proposition, the artwork has a discursive impact asking what purpose banks serve in our societies? Can banks be operated without profit? What happens when interests of banks lie elsewhere than in financial gain? What implications can non-profit banks have on people's livelihoods? As Stichting SB​ poses these questions to the visitors of Dappermarkt it states the urgent need for alternatives to profit driven banks.

For de Appel Kiosk, artists Honey Jones-Hughes and Antonio de la Hera will be developing Buurtijs (2020-22), a previous project that questioned ‘local’ and ‘ethical’ food production through the making and selling of ice cream. From the outset, the project aimed to see if selling ice cream could 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. As such they are inviting you to think about how alternative structures could apply empathy and access to food or other products, 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, hosted by artists Özgür Atlagan and Ulufer Çelik. Over two weeks, they 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 – a non-electric printing device used by dissident organisations from the 1920s-80s. Revenue from potato salad sales will contribute to zine production and earnings from zine sales will be shared with contributors. There will also be hosted activities for children visitors, and on the second week guest speakers will join the stall to discuss matters around land and growing potatoes.