Kind Regards was formed in September 2009 by Ryan Cookson and Matthijs Diederiks.

Who are we?
Matthijs Diederiks is an Amsterdam native who graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in the Audio Visual Department in 2009. He currently works on both autonomous and applied projects within the field of video and photography, he is proud father of his son Titan and has an obsession for Bart Simpson.

Ryan Cookson was born in Amsterdam but spent his youth living in Australia, England and Holland. He studied Media & Cultural Studies at Bristol University West of England until 2007. He has a background in Event Organisation and Sales and is currently working on autonomous projects within photography.

What are we about?
Both Matthijs and Ryan formed a friendship in their former years whilst active within graffiti. Through this common interest as well as their shared passion for art across multiple mediums, they developed the idea to create a new platform to show, support and represent the work of promising artists (national and international) within unorthodox yet suited locations in Amsterdam. This idea was born because they both felt that much of the art they found interesting was not being shown in Amsterdam.

The artists they select often have a direct connection with their own background and influences such as graffiti, skateboarding and their surrounding culture. Whilst the work they showcase is often not a direct visual representation of these interests and influences, both Matthijs and Ryan are careful to select works which retain the same spirit and energy that characterise these movements and this is what has formed the basis of Kind Regards.