"We are painter Aron Kroes (1987) and photographer Merette Uiterwaal (1990), both autodidact visual artists. While our visual styles may seem different at first glance, we decided to collaborate in 2020 as an artist duo, merging our practices into a unified body of work. Merette’s abstract portraits serve as the foundation for our new series, which Aron enhances with his expressive and intuitive painterly style, bringing the abstract photographs to life.

In 2021, we were honored to be selected as talents by the Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam, where we had the opportunity to showcase our work. This experience inspired us to embark on a new journey together as gallery owners.

Currently, Aron resides in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Merette in Naples (Italy). We manage the gallery collaboratively online from both locations."

"Studio UK is derived from a combination of our last names, Uiterwaal and Kroes, and is pronounced as 'U-K' in the English manner."

"Our journey began in 2020 when we started collaborating to create art. In 2021, we were selected as Talents for the Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam, where we experienced our first art fair. We discovered a deep enjoyment in engaging with visitors and sharing the art experience with them. Noticing that our artistic tastes were not always represented at existing art fairs, we decided to establish our own gallery in 2022. Our goal was to create an approachable space, run by artists for artists, to showcase the art we love and believe in.

Before embarking on our art careers, we both worked in (online) marketing and events, which provided us with valuable commercial experience that we now bring to the gallery. We continue to balance the art gallery with our own international art careers, ensuring that our passion for art remains at the forefront of everything we do."

"At our gallery, we seek out artists whose work resides on the intriguing boundary between abstraction and figuration. This means that some pieces lean more towards the abstract, while others are more realistic. We value a sense of playfulness in art, and this is a key criterion when selecting new artists and their works. Our mission is to elevate artists at various stages of their careers, whether they are well-established, fresh out of art school, or self-taught. We believe that art should evoke an emotional response, and if a piece resonates with us, we are eager to share it with the world."

"We believe that art should be accessible to everyone, so our goal is to eliminate any barriers that might prevent people from engaging with art. Personal taste is subjective, and everyone knows what resonates with them. You don't need to love everything you see; listening to your inner voice is what matters.

In the next few years, we aim to host more pop-up gallery shows in Amsterdam and Naples to introduce a broader audience to our talented artists. Additionally, we plan to participate in international art fairs and expand our online presence through our webshop."