Ko van 't Hek & Yuki Kho

‘Kunst Kijken met Ko & Kho’ is a great success! When / how did your affinity with art began?

We both discovered art in different ways. Yuki (Kho) grew up with art, as both her parents are visual artists. They dragged her to all kinds of exhibitions from an early age on to show her the most diverse things. Although she didn’t always want to, it was right there and then that her love for art was born. Ko (van 't Hek) only discovered visual art in his twenties. When he saw the large Malevich exhibition at the Stedelijk, he was sold.

Do you also collect privately? What would you like to purchase?

We both collect, but on a modest scale. Yuki just started and recently added a very cool artwork from No Man’s Art gallery to her collection. On her wish list is a work by Toyin Ojih Odutola. Ko also has several artworks, mainly by befriended artists such as Matthijs Booij and Catharina Gerritsen. You will find a screen print by Ellsworth Kelly above his bed. What else he’d like to add? A mural from Sol LeWitt would be great!

What would you like to bring about in the art world?

It’s such a shame that people effortlessly talk about films or series they have seen, but not necessarily about exhibitions. The reason for this is that the language used to describe, write or speak about art is often difficult to understand. We do that differently. We talk about art the way you can talk about football. By using an accessible tone, we want to lower the threshold for people. Although art has an enormous depth, you don't need to know much about art to enjoy it. You have to start somewhere, and you can do that by trusting your own taste. By describing the coolest exhibitions in the Netherlands in a very normal way (without ‘art speak’), we make art accessible to a wider audience.

Do you think it is important to show art in a company and why, or why not?

Absolutely! Art can grasp things that are not always possible with words. It inspires and shows you new possibilities. It’s great to look at art when you are having a meeting, have a difficult conversation or have to meet a deadline. Being surrounding by art makes the workplace extra enjoyable.

How do you think you should look at art?

We very much believe in "Listen to your eyes". When you are in a museum, try to find what attracts you. Do not hesitate to skip the works that don’t appeal to you and dare to find something ugly or boring.