3 Maria's are ready for Bewust Breda exposition at StadsGalerij
The 3 Blessed Virgin paintings are a reminder of motherly spirituality we have lost. There are many examples how we have honored our Mother Earth, Venus figurines or Mother Mary in the past. This happened way before the Church told us stories of male superiority in Biblical stories. The 3 Blessed Virgins are like a trinity, each with their own character and energie. The are on exhibit in Breda from 2-11 may at StadsGalerij Breda.
'Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards'
Søren Kiekegaard
From Amsterdam to Stockholm
The new year is among us for over a week now and I've just started looking back at the old one. The month of December tends to make people more reflective, appreciative and therefor sentimental? The sun sets and rises again, like all other days of the year. But the closer we get to the end of a certain calendar the more excitement we radiate into the air. Well, it did not happen to me. Nor did I create such a mood. That is to say not until I received a 'special' card. It sat on my desk for a week. Waiting for me to be ready for its message. And when I did open up to its content it mirrored the enormous scale of the previous year. Each shard had its own tale; it's own experience with a choice. Do I look back at it with feelings of joy or feelings of anger? There is no good or bad, its just a choice of preference. For I cannot recall a year that is packed with so many crossed boarders, creative struggles and adventurous celebrations at the same time! This Water Dragon year is top-notch!
One of the highlights is the participation of my 'Pony Performance' at STOFF Fringe Fest in Stockholm. And not just the performance nor the festival itself, but the actual journey towards Stockholm was magnificent! To drive up there in a camper van stacked with over 200 toy horses, made possible with the financial support of many private funders who absolutely believed the necessity of this performance to be seen abroad was, well a dream come true! And to have access to other artists and see other performances, installations and exhibits was the icing on the cake. Have a look at the recap of the 2012 STOFF edition in the video above. The year of the Dragon will last only for another four weeks so make 'm count!
Maybe I should have looked up what the term 'showcase' means. I arrived at the Old Church holding my painting 'the Coronation of the Shepherdess' firm to my side. People setting up their work everywhere. Adjusting lights and fighting with frames. As I found my spot I began to grasp the enormous amount of art that I was surrounded by. I wasn't impressed by what I saw. Maybe I'm used to being overwhelmed by art fairs. And the feeling they give me that escape is futile, an endless space filled with stalls that want to impress. They drive me crazy! And here I was, one of them with a work to add to the list. I felt the exhibit was curated with a non cohesive order. But I couldn't stay in that set of mind for long so I corrected myself when I took a photo of the painting. It was then when I realized She was in a Church! And not just any Church but the Old Church (1306) in Amsterdam in the centre of the Red Light district! To me that was a fantastic experience on itself. And for the first time with a work that does not so much overwhelm the viewer with details and impressions but a work that sits quietly to be discovered by the right set of eyes. I attached some additional information to the wall next to her and went home to warm up. December in a cold Dutch church is not a place where I'd like to be for long. I returned in the afternoon to spend some more time and chat with other artists.
Krüller-Müller Museum in Otterlo honors the departure of their director Evert van Straaten with a review of art acquired by the museum under his directorship, together with masterpieces from the permanent collection. The atmosphere of the museum collection is shaped by works of art in which the longing for a better world or for paradise is embedded. At the same time it shows the human struggle with 'the perfect form' and the tragedy of the human condition. Twin concepts such as nature and culture, imagination and knowledge or destruction and construction are found in the presentation in all sorts of ways. Together with five fellow graduating classmates I travelled to Otterlo for a day to be amazed by the building and the collection.
Cai Guo-Qiang Inopportune: Stage Two from 2004
In his monumental installation Inopportune: Stage Two from Cai Gou-Qiang we see nine life-sized replicas of tigers shot with arrows and a decorative element in the form of a mountain and a tree. Standing and floating all around you in the enormous exhibition room, they seem to be frozen in time. Visitors can easily view them from all sorts of angles. Together with the dramatic lighting they become very theatrical. We all responded differently to the work. Making it our first exchange to discuss and question the intentions of the artist and his presentation. For Jeannette they did not represent real tigers and Claudia wasn't happy about the violence on display. I couldn't get over the fact that they reminded me of the Salvador Dali tigers linking their pose and attack to a surreal experience. We moved on, feeling that I could spend an entire day with them losing track of time and space if I stayed there. Up next were Jeff Wall, Jan Fabre, Gilbert & George and Joep van Lieshout. It wasn't until I saw the Hurt Models by Christiaan Bastiaans that I stopped again and thought: What is this....
Christaan Bastiaans
Hurt Models
Extremely rich in details, made with different fabrics and posing in various postures, Hurt Models gave the impression of theatrical costumes while others resembled iconic figures. Looking at the tallest figure in the installation, dressed in golden robes and a red velvet pillow as a face, she reminded me of the Blessed Virgin. And I had the overwhelming sensation that I'd discovered something that the other visitors were not seeing. For she was standing in a corner, surrounded by others, hard to make out. And although the hanging sculptures are inspired by clothing worn by rebels in conflict areas they resonate a harmony and beauty that shows a hint of life seeping through destruction.
The exhibit continued with works of Van Gogh, Mondriaan and Anselm Kiefer, I got reminded that this part of the building always seems to have less oxygen. The further I go, the more I get stuck in that 'room after room filled with art' situation that I no longer can perceive the works. Thank God for light at the end of the tunnel with Bruce Nauman's 'BRRRR' installation. Together with Claudia we were transfixed on his video's, what a relieve! Only to see that most visitors couldn't stay there for more than 5 seconds made us laugh out loud. We loved the emotional charge of the obsessive, hallucinative shaking of his head.
Longing For Perfection Audiovisual artworks
The real treat, the cherry on top was the tent complex on the activity area in the sculpture garden! In nine separate spaces, you can emerge yourself with the works of Christiaan Bastiaans, Willie Doherty and Jan van de Pavert. This is the reason why I need to return to the Krüller-Müller museum. These audiovisual works take time to experience and there are some I must see again! When I heard my name I knew the spell was over and we had to rush back to reality for the museum was closing. A wonderful day with fellow artists; discussing, laughing and recharging our inspiration! We must do it again...thank you so much Claudia, Paula, Anneke and Jeannette! X
'A site specific exhibit' is what you told us 8 weeks ago. So we formed groups to challenge ourselves and exchange form and content. What is the history of this location and how do we move around in it? We started a process and were cut short. No big deal. We took on the NEW grid and started again. New New New; it's New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. And 'new' is what everybody seems in need of to show. For me it became apparent that this site specific exhibit is much bigger than a location. It is a 'gut' feeling that is a stranger to me. As if all energy is way up at the ceiling and not at the ground. Nothing can be extracted from the earth here. This place is barren. And I hang between a passive aggressive state, conflicting 'wanna makes' with 'thesis writing'. The time is getting closer to the exhibit and I have found my armory. I'll bring 2 large Nanika drawings to this event. Heavy framed in wood they are kept in place by four pins, this avoids the work from touching the glass. The participation of these works can be seen as an attempt to open up my presence at the KB studio. They have an emotionally charged depiction and I hope their presence at the studio will alter the energy there. In return I hope the studio will add a layer of experiment to their finished state of being. Nanika is Japanese for 'something that is hard to describe' and thus it finds its way to my own experience at the location and could conflict, add and confront building and viewers. I'm angry and I'm happy that the first cracks appear on the concrete floor.
Nanika 13
charcoal, marker, acrylic paint on paper
114cm x 166cm
The Salon was a way to exhibit art which was very common in the 17th and 18th century. It was a meeting at someone's home where artists, writers, philosophers, musicians and their works and ideas were exchanged. The Salon exhibited paintings floor-to-ceiling on every available inch of space. Salon sociability quickly spread through Europe and by the 18th and 19th centuries, many large cities in Europe had salons copied on the Parisian models. This inspired artist Lisa Couwenbergh who works and lives in the same house where A. Bouten (1893-1965) and H Korevaa (1893-1983) worked to keep this tradition alive. She curated a Salon experience titled the Spirit of the house.
Previous owners and artists
Armand Bouten and Hanny Korevaa
OLD VS NEW
The combination of works in a Salon is very exciting. It can add layers of tension/friction or it can distract you to see only similarities in energy, style or theme. On entering the room my eyes get stuck on a piece made by Johanna Schweizer. I first saw her work in 2008 at Art Amsterdam and later that year she participated in a show at COBRA museum in Amstelveen. An important theme in her work is the origin of mankind which she explores through fiber art. She combines this theme from cross-genderness and cross-specieness to religious suffering and sexual rituals with folkloric, pagan and a sensual playfulness that makes her work at the same time deadly serious. Fiber art is a style of fine art which uses textiles such as fabric, yarn and natural and synthetic fibers. You recognize her work immediately.
The same house with a new Salon presentation 2011
Johanna Schweizer
Without hesitation I walk over to the two monkeys hanging on the wall, one in bright orange the other in blue. With great pleasure I read many details in this piece, it alternates my thoughts constantly. In her work she makes fun of the laws of nature and provokes different comments depending on if the viewer is male or female. It takes some time before I realize their gender and the conflict they provide with their colors. As nice as it is to zoom in on this work, all walls, corners and ceilings are filled with pieces to view so it is time to move on.
As much darkness as light 2008
Erik Mattijssen
On the opposite wall the work of Erik Mattijssen draws my attention. It is a cardboard dark skinned human with flowers and vegetables as intestines. It hangs like a jumping jack figure but there is no cord. I become aware that this work, just like Schweizer's monkeys has a certain similarity. I feel caught in the act when I realize it might be my preference. Something that since the beginning of this final year of DOGtime I try to avoid. But surfaces again when I go through this exhibit. The use of human or animal figures, puppets and dolls have been fascinated material for so long that I don't know why I (all of a sudden) want to exterminate it. My strict thoughts have become a hinder to myself, this becomes clear now. It explains the 'passive aggressive' state of thinking that has been dominating my practice. I leave Couwenbergh's apartment with a more curious attitude and a more open point of view to start my engine again. I hope it will return a sparkle of excitement...
Maybe I should have looked up what the term 'showcase' means. I arrived at the Old Church holding my painting 'the Coronation of the Shepherdess' firm to my side. People setting up their work everywhere. Adjusting lights and fighting with frames. As I found my spot I began to grasp the enormous amount of art that I was surrounded by. I wasn't impressed by what I saw. Maybe I'm used to being overwhelmed by art fairs. And the feeling they give me that escape is futile, an endless space filled with stalls that want to impress. They drive me crazy! And here I was, one of them with a work to add to the list. I felt the exhibit was curated with a non cohesive order. But I couldn't stay in that set of mind for long so I corrected myself when I took a photo of the painting. It was then when I realized She was in a Church! And not just any Church but the Old Church (1306) in Amsterdam in the centre of the Red Light district! To me that was a fantastic experience on itself. And for the first time with a work that does not so much overwhelm the viewer with details and impressions but a work that sits quietly to be discovered by the right set of eyes. I attached some additional information to the wall next to her and went home to warm up. December in a cold Dutch church is not a place where I'd like to be for long. I returned in the afternoon to spend some more time and chat with other artists.
