The initiative for Villa comes from Adam Nillissen, Bas Koopmans, and Cas Boland—three friends, creators, and entrepreneurs with deep roots in the arts, culture, and creative industries. United by a shared love for art and culture and a drive to develop new formats, the idea for this museum was born. “We want to create an accessible place in Amsterdam for playful, immersive, high-quality art. It’s fantastic that this dream is now becoming a reality.”

Adam Nillissen, Bas Koopmans, and Cas Boland founded Somehow Creative Services, an agency specializing in strategy, branding, and design for museums, venues, music festivals, and other creative organizations. Since 2024, they have been working together on the realization of Villa – a new museum for playful, immersive, high-quality art, located in the monumental 'Ingenieurswoning' at the Westergas site in Amsterdam.

Adam Nillissen

Adam Nillissen is a cultural entrepreneur, curator, and creative strategist. He is one of the founders of Unfair Amsterdam—an innovative platform that has been supporting artists and architects in building sustainable careers since 2012.

Trained as a visual artist, Adam brings with him an extensive (inter)national network in the art, culture, and creative sectors, built through years of experience.

With a background in the arts and a sharp vision for the sector, Adam has a clear mission: to create accessible, content-rich platforms that foster talent development and cultural entrepreneurship. Through his work with Unfair, he has helped bring visibility to a new generation of national and international artists by organizing exhibitions, art editions, fairs, and interdisciplinary collaborations. He excels at strategically connecting creators with audiences, and aligning content with communication.

Bas Koopmans

Bas Koopmans is a graphic designer and creative director, known for his sharp cultural insight and deep love for typography. His work lives at the intersection of contemporary art and pop culture. Since 2004, he has been creating award-winning visual identities, campaigns, and publications from his base in Amsterdam.

Bas has worked with cultural institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Into The Great Wide Open, and the Humanistisch Verbond, as well as commercial clients including Asics, Heineken, and Converse. His identities are often characterized by distinctive, original typography. Notable examples include Melkweg, Museumnacht Amsterdam, Pitch Festival, and Down The Rabbit Hole.

In addition to client work, Bas initiates his own projects, such as De Blauwe Maandag (“Blue Monday”) – a ‘tabloid of wonder’ designed to bring a message of hope and positivity by inviting over forty writers, musicians, and other creators to turn the poetry of everyday life into headlines.

For over a decade, Bas has been a strategic and creative partner at Unfair Amsterdam – an innovative platform supporting sustainable careers for artists and architects through, among other things, a large annual art fair. He also serves on the board of De Wittenplaats, a creative hub in Amsterdam-West.

Cas Boland

Throughout his career, Cas has focused on connecting culture with broad audiences. Raised in a socially engaged family – his father a social worker, his mother a Dutch teacher – he developed an early affinity for art, music, and social development.

Cas began his career in the music industry, where he was active for over ten years in various roles. As a co-founder of the collective Boemklatsch, he performed on major national and international stages and was responsible for production, programming, promotion, and bookings of festivals and events. Boemklatsch also released music—both their own and that of international like-minded artists—through their label bmkltsch rcrds.

As head of marketing & communications at TivoliVredenburg and later the Van Gogh Museum, Cas created eye-catching campaigns and strategic partnerships—including Vincent op Vrijdag (with Bas Koopmans), aimed at young cultural audiences in Amsterdam, and a globally streamed collaboration with Armin van Buuren during Amsterdam Dance Event, reaching over 20 million viewers.

Cas has proven himself in making art and culture accessible to new audiences without compromising on content or artistic quality. He has worked as a strategic advisor and manager for a variety of cultural and non-profit organizations, including the OBA (Amsterdam Public Library), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Museum Association, Moco Museum, and the Le Guess Who? festival.