The first thing I noticed when I met Jasha was how easily he connects with people. I was at a press event where I had to talk to people I didn’t know, which is always a dreaded task for an introvert like me, and then I met him and instantly felt among friends.
That feeling stayed with me when we met afterwards, and I believe this must be the superpower that helped him build such a large community around his project in a short time. Jasha is the founder of Novus Arte, an art marketing agency that helps artists and cultural organisations grow their visibility and find new audiences. It started as an Instagram community with the aim of making contemporary art more accessible to a new generation of art lovers, and by 2025 it was reaching millions of art lovers worldwide.
His passion for art and for connecting people is palpable when he talks about the artists he works with and the projects he has finished or is planning. Jasha gave me a personal tour of the exhibition at StartDock, one of his latest projects, and it felt much more like being in an art gallery than a co-working space.
The exhibition, which opened on May 7, brings contemporary art into StartDock’s coworking space on the Singel. The idea behind it is that entrepreneurs and artists often share the same reality of working independently, with all the freedom and uncertainty that comes with it, so why not bring them into the same room? Novus Arte curated a selection of emerging and established artists from the Netherlands and beyond — among them Bensink Erichsen, Eelco van Loenen, Ernesto Lemke, Fhatuwani Mukheli, Justice Mukheli, Nathalie Bopp, and Willemijn Delfos — and placed their work throughout the historic canal house, where it mingles with desks, meeting rooms, and the daily rhythm of people at work. It’s a different way of encountering art: not set apart in a white-walled gallery, but woven into an ordinary working day. I liked it. After the tour, we sat down to talk about how Novus Arte came to be, what it takes to build a community around art, and what’s next.
I wanted to talk to him because he’s doing something I care about: taking contemporary art out of its usual settings and putting it where people actually spend their days (whether that’s an Instagram feed or a co-working space) making it feel less intimidating and more like part of life.
Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Can you start by telling us about yourself? (background, personal)
Jasha: My name is Jasha Berkenbosch, a 26-year-old creative entrepreneur from the Netherlands. I grew up in the town Huizen in a family of entrepreneurs; my parents and older brother have all run their own businesses.
From a young age, I was fascinated by entrepreneurship. At fifteen, I started building affiliate marketing websites and taught myself skills such as copywriting, creating websites and how to rank them in Google.
School and I had a somewhat complicated relationship at first. I struggled especially during high-school. That’s why after finishing high school at seventeen, I started working at a digital marketing agency near my hometown, where I was given the opportunity to learn the profession without having a formal degree.
Because I did not want to work full time for the rest of my life, I decided to move to Amsterdam and study Commercial Economics at nineteen. For the first time, I finally enjoyed being a student (and I enjoyed the student life) because I could directly connect what I learned to real projects and businesses. That curiosity eventually led me to pursue a Master’s in Entrepreneurship in Barcelona.
Outside of work, I love travelling and exploring new cultures. Learning Spanish, meeting people from different backgrounds and experiencing new places has taught me to look at the world from different perspectives. That curiosity is something I carry into my work every day. That’s also basically how we met haha.
I’ve always been fascinated by creativity and the people behind original ideas. I get inspired by seeing how talent and passion come together in music, art but also business. It’s something that makes the world feel more interesting and fun for me. When I started Novus Arte, I naturally developed a deeper appreciation for contemporary art.
What is Novus Arte and how did you get the idea of starting it? (please explain shortly all the directions the business goes into)
Jasha: During my internship at a media company in Amsterdam, I was responsible for managing an Instagram page in the travel niche. I created content, negotiated brand deals, and helped grow the platform. I realised quite quickly that I really enjoyed that combination of creativity and growth.
This was during COVID, and at one point I had to stay home for a week after testing positive. That week I decided to just start something of my own. I am a person that always need to do something. So I created an Instagram account, came up with a brand name and designed a basic logo in Canva.
Novus Arte started from the question: why do young people talk about films, music or series all the time, but rarely about art? We believe this is because the art world is often quite inaccessible for everyday people. So the idea was to approach it in a more open and relatable way. Our early motto was: “Contemporary art your grandparents will not like.”
When I told my brother to help me manage this Instagram, his first reaction was: “What do you even have with art?” I explained that I wanted to present art in a more accessible way: through clear language, humour, and references that felt closer to everyday culture. He said: “Okay, sounds fun, but I’ll only join if you reach 1,000 followers.” He thought that it was just another stupid idea of his little brother.
But I reached 1,000 followers within a month haha. And we grew it together from there to 10,000 within a year. Novus Arte has now grown into an international art community with almost 70,000 followers; reaching 8 million art lovers in 2025.
After managing this art community for years, it became clear that different parts of the art ecosystem are all dealing with questions of positioning and visibility. What started as an Instagram page has evolved into an international art marketing agency.
We help visual artists build their careers through marketing, representation and introductions to relevant galleries and art institutions, while also supporting cultural organisations with audience development, social media and strategic communication. At its core, our work is about creating meaningful connections between (art) culture and the people who might engage with it.
You travelled a lot recently and it was actually hard to pin you down for this interview. Tell me about that. And how did I end up seeing your face on a billboard in Times Square?
Jasha: Haha yes especially this year I am traveling a lot. Which I’m very grateful for because I genuinely love the international side of my work. But it’s not just for fun, it’s actually essential. The art world / business is relatively small, especially in the Netherlands, and many of the projects and artists we work with naturally go beyond borders. That means we need to be present in different countries and continue building relationships internationally.
The New York exhibition was of course insane. It was a digital billboard exhibition in Times Square, where I was involved as a member of the curatorial committee. Seeing my face, together with artworks from artists we work with, appear on one of the most iconic screens in the world was of course super special. New Yorkers were walking up to me asking: ‘’you famous?’’, which made my brother and a friend who were with me laugh. It felt also special since the digital billboard exhibition in a urban place, reflects again the vision we have for contemporary art: making art visible and part of everyday life.
Besides New York we’ve are also involved in exhibitions and projects across the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Puerto Rico. A lot of these opportunities come through the network we’ve built over time. Because Novus Arte started as a community with a clear idea on contemporary art, it has resonated with people in different parts of the world, which slowly leads to new collaborations.
On your site you say you want to help art “break out of its elite and boring image.” What does that mean to you exactly?
Jasha: When I say that, I don’t mean it as criticism of the art world itself. I think contemporary art can be incredibly rich, thought-provoking and meaningful. But I believe there are still many improvements in the way art is positioned and communicated.
For me, it’s not about simplifying art, but about making it easier to engage with. People shouldn’t feel like they need a certain level of knowledge before they can appreciate a work of art. Curiosity should be enough.
I think contemporary art becomes much more exciting when it is part of broader cultural conversations rather than something that exists only within a small circle of insiders. A larger and more engaged audience will create more opportunities for everyone involved.
A lot of young people feel the art world isn’t really “for them.” What do you think keeps them away, and what changes when art meets them where they already are, on a screen?
Jasha: I think a lot of it comes down to familiarity. When we started Novus Arte a few years ago, almost none of our friends or people in our direct environment were talking about art. It simply wasn’t part of everyday conversation.
There is also a perception barrier. Some young people don’t always feel comfortable stepping into a gallery because they assume they can’t afford art, or because they feel they need a certain level of knowledge to understand it. Sometimes people read a museum text five times and still have no idea what it means. We’ve experienced that ourselves too 🙂
What’s interesting is that younger generations are actually engaging with art more than ever before. They’re constantly interacting with photography, design, fashion, music, video and other creative content online. In many ways, they’re already engaging with contemporary culture, they just don’t always call it art.
Social media has helped lower that barrier significantly. It allows people to discover artists and artworks in an accessible way, without first having to step into a gallery or museum.
The art world is increasingly learning to meet people where they already are. From what I’ve seen over the past few years, that’s happening more and more, and I think that’s a very positive development. Your mobile is often the starting point, not the destination. It creates curiosity, and that curiosity can eventually lead people into galleries, museums and other cultural spaces.
What are a few projects you feel very proud of?
Jasha: Besides New York, there are a few projects that stand out for me.
One of them is the collaboration with Fhatuwani Mukheli, (a South African artist), one of our first clients. We had already been promoting his work through our community before Novus Arte formally existed, so when we later started working together more professionally, it felt like a natural continuation of that relationship. Our focus was to introduce his art to the European market, mainly through galleries and other exhibition opportunities, which let his art find its place on the global stage.
In Amsterdam, I also recently organised an exhibition in collaboration with StartDock, a co-working space in a monumental 18th-century building. The workspace transformed into an exhibition environment where art, entrepreneurship and community came together. It was really cool how naturally people engaged with the art in this setting. It’s another confirmation how powerful it can be when art is not separated from everyday life, but is integrated within it. Organising and promoting such an event can be stressful at times, but I’m proud we have managed and lucky to be surrounded by family, friends and even clients who support me throughout the process.
Btw, the exhibition is still on view at StartDock (Singel 126) until 9 September 2026. Visits can only be arranged: info@novusarte.com
When you take on an artist, where do you start? What are you actually looking at or listening for before you can help them grow?
Jasha: The way I look at artists has evolved over time. In the beginning, I was mainly focused on whether I personally found the work visually attractive. Over time, I’ve realised there are many more factors that matter when supporting the growth of an artist’s career.
One thing nowadays, I pay a lot of attention to which mindset the artist has. Many of the artists I work with also have an entrepreneurial mindset; they are proactive, open to investing in their practice, and able to take initiative in how they promote their work, even beyond what we do for them.
Another very important factor is that there should be a personal connection. I need to feel that I can communicate well with someone and build a relationship of trust. If that’s not there, it becomes difficult to really support an artist in a meaningful way.
You spend your days helping artists get seen, but I imagine it goes both ways. Do the artists you work with ever end up influencing or inspiring you?
Jasha: Yes, they do. Funny enough, I’ve noticed that many of the artists I work with are also a source of inspiration for me. It might also have to do with the fact that I’m relatively young in this field, so I’m still learning as I go.
For example, I get a lot of inspiration from the Dutch artist Eelco van Loenen. Beyond his art itself, I find his way of thinking and living interesting – the way he moves between his art practice and other fields such as real estate, and is constantly searching for contrast, energy and movement. That way of approaching life is something I learn from him.
A new artist I work with, American Nathan Terborg is also very inspiring for me. This artist explores transformation, curiosity and the idea that personal experiences – especially difficult ones – can be reinterpreted into something meaningful. He works with discarded materials and transforms them into abstract artworks, giving new value to what was once considered waste. Super inspirational!
Your work sits right where art meets business, two worlds that don’t always trust each other. Have you ever felt that tension, and how do you think about it now?
Jasha: Yes, I was actually surprised by how present this tension still is in the art world.
I am still finding my way in navigating between those two worlds. In that sense, Novus Arte sits somewhere in between. Some might perceive it as more commercial, while others recognise that art is a business and that commercial aspects play important roles. I try not to position myself on one side, but just keep focusing on creating value for my clients.
Working across artists, galleries and fairs, is there something about how the art world operates that you’d genuinely like to change?
Jasha: More collaborations! What I would love to see more of in the art world is collaboration across different roles and disciplines.
That can be artists working with other artists, curators collaborating more actively with each other or galleries opening up their networks and creating more shared opportunities. I also think collaborations between artists and brands can be very powerful when they are done in an authentic way.
The more these players interact with each other, the more dynamic and accessible the art world becomes.
What has been the hardest part of these first years that you didn’t see coming — and on the other side, the best part?
Jasha: The hardest part has been entering an industry where I initially didn’t have that much knowledge of or experience in. You learn a lot by doing, but at the beginning it felt quite overwhelming.
The best part is that I get to work with very inspiring people and build my own path along the way. There is a lot of freedom in that, and I really value that combination of learning and shaping something unique.
What will the future bring for Novus Arte?
Jasha: I am really excited about an upcoming exhibition I am organising in collaboration with Hogeschool Inholland in Alkmaar, at a very unique location. International and local students will get hands-on experience in how to organise and promote an art exhibition, while I guide them through the process and curate the exhibition. It is a cool way to bring young people in contact with art.
Besides this, we are planning exhibitions in Spain and Puerto Rico.
For someone in their twenties with an idea and a phone who thinks “this is just a hobby,” what would you tell them?
Jasha: I would tell them to take it seriously and just try it. It’s okay if it doesn’t work out. You learn from doing, and often you only really understand something once you start.
Jasha Berkenbosch
Amsterdam 2026
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