Unlike most painters of his generation, Meijers plays with the boundaries of fiction. When one sees his canvases, one does not think of photography or art history, as with most contemporary painters. Instead, one is transported to the culture from which such a painting could have originated, contemplating the backgrounds and motivations of the creator – which, in turn, are completely different from what one might initially assume based on their appearance. Once this is understood, one realizes that Meijers cleverly challenges the viewer’s ingrained habits of looking.
www.ftn-books.com has the Irma Boom designed book on Meijers now available.
In his endeavor, Ellert Haitjema delves into a robust vernacular of forms, derived not from aesthetic norms, but from a primal inclination towards survival, from which it draws its exquisite allure.
Haitjema is thoroughly intrigued by the resourceful ingenuity displayed by individuals when faced with scarce resources. For years, he has been documenting, lens-in-hand, their impermanent dwellings, improvised fixes, and enigmatic objects repurposed to meet distinct needs. This exploration often occurs during his expeditions to far-flung destinations, or it may simply occur while taking a stroll around his local neighborhood.
Initially, the photographs served as personal reference points, serving as models and sources of inspiration for his sculptures. However, in Haphazard, these photographs are brought together with his own creations, participating in a dialogue full of brazen visual rhyming and playful wordplay, free from any hierarchy or indication of whether the image is a creation of his own or a photographed object. This differentiation is blurred in the photo-interventions. Haitjema delves into the visual elements suggested by the photographs themselves, subjecting them to various treatments. By creasing the photographs, immersing them in water, or encasing them in glass, he transitions them into three-dimensional entities, which he then captures through his camera lens once again. The outcome is a two-dimensional representation that challenges superficial observation with its idiosyncrasies. ‘Keen observation’ and ‘reckless thinking’ lie at the core of Haitjema’s artistic endeavors.
Georges Mathieu was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1921. An autodidactic artist and theorist, he embarked on his creative journey in 1942. He traversed the globe, creating masterpieces in Japan, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, and the Middle East, but predominantly lived and produced his opuses in the Parisian region of France, where he passed away in 2012.
Credited with spearheading the Lyrical Abstraction movement and the larger trend of Informalism in post-World War II Paris, Georges Mathieu pioneered a style of gestural abstraction that verged on performance art. A renowned provocateur, he dazzled audiences with his energetic approach, prioritizing speed, rejecting references, and entering a state of ecstasy while creating. Often working in front of cameras, his pieces were exhibited around the world, with his large-scale compositions achieved through the use of long brushes and direct application of paint from tubes onto the canvas. The immediacy and rapid execution of these techniques empowered him to freely express his vision. He brought a newfound liberty to the creative act and gave rise to a fresh style, a unique blend of esoteric symbols, calligraphy, and raw vigor. The titles of his pieces, infused with historical, musical, and geographical allusions, add a sophisticated yet unconventional poetic quality.
Mathieu’s work has been the subject of numerous retrospectives and can be found in over eighty museums and permanent public collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Kunstmuseum Basel; Kunsthaus Zürich; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the Tate, London.
Hailing from the Saxon Ore Mountains, Klaus Süß was born in 1951. His occupation as a heating engineer and later as an engineer in air and refrigeration technology in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now known as Chemnitz) did not hinder him from pursuing his artistic interests. In fact, over the years, Klaus Süß immersed himself in painting and artistic printing techniques, all while being self-taught. He eventually left his job in the industry in 1978 and became a cultural manager in a large company. Around the same time, he joined the Chemnitz artist group CLARA MOSCH. Since 1986, Klaus Süß has been working as a freelance artist, his focus primarily on linocuts. In 1987, he became a member of the Association of Visual Artists. His initial portfolio, including “Der große Gesang” (The Great Song) based on poems by Pablo Neruda and “Kassandra” based on Christa Wolf’s book, garnered attention. Klaus Süß is known for his dynamic and often richly-colored graphics featuring expressive human figures. He was one of the most renowned graphic artists in East Germany, and following the fall of the Berlin Wall, his works quickly gained recognition and appreciation in the West.
Hailing from Oporto, the esteemed individual obtained his academic degree in 1985 from the prestigious E.S.B.A.P. Subsequently, he served as a lecturer in the field of Painting at the E.S.A.P. from 1985 to 1990. In 1998, he accomplished the pinnacle of academic success by achieving a PhD in Art History from the University of Salamanca. In the year 1986, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of the renowned Quadrado Azul art gallery, followed by co-founding the esteemed Por Amor à Arte Gallery in Oporto in 1994. Demonstrating a keen passion for sharing knowledge and shaping future artists, he served as an assistant lecturer at F.B.A.U.P. from 1988 to 2002. In the new millennium, he embarked on a partnership with “Nome aos Bois Arte Contemporânea,” a project studio based in Salvador.
The captivating artwork of Augusto Canedo served as a catalyst in the renaissance of figuration during the 1980’s, delving into the complexities of spatiality, composition, and a nearly academic approach to lighting. Beyond this revolutionary movement, the focal point of his creations shifted from figures to dynamic representations of the human form, incorporating elements such as stains, textures, and organic materials. This marked the beginning of a new era, aptly named “Litoralidade” (meaning coastal life). The sea, in close proximity to his hometown of Oporto, influenced his art with an evident presence of the immaculate blue hue and the inclusion of fossils, frequently employing techniques such as encaustics.
Raised in Nantes alongside his ten siblings, the artist Rémi Blanchard embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Initially pursuing studies in mechanical engineering, he later enrolls at the School of Fine Arts in Quimper during the late seventies. By the early eighties, he has established himself in Paris. A recent graduate of the art academy, the young Blanchard joins a group of artists who would eventually become known as the ‘Figuration Libre’ movement. His highly personal painting style greatly contributes to this new art movement. Drawing inspiration from mythology, history, the universe of stories, and his own childhood, Blanchard creates vibrant and powerful works of art. His recognizable figures and symbols appear consistently in all of his works. Deer, feline creatures, birds, humans in animal form, circus figures, and caravans are frequent motifs. Primordial elements such as the sun and fire, as well as Eastern symbols, also make regular appearances. As his career progresses, the human figure takes on a more prominent role in Blanchard’s art. His paintings often feature characters reading, sleeping, or reclining, clearly seeking a sense of tranquility. Blanchard employs a simple palette of lively and bright colors. His early works are characterized by expressive, loose brushstrokes. Later on, his style becomes smoother and more stylized, with defined color blocks and clear contours. Blanchard’s intimate images blur the lines between dream and reality, nostalgia and magic, poetry and a certain cruelty. His body of work shows influences from masters such as Vincent van Gogh, Fernand Léger, Henri Mattise and Gaston Chaissac. Blanchard exhibits his work in galleries all over Europe. From 1981 onwards, he also spends time and showcases his art in America and Japan. In the early nineties, a fire destroys his storage space and workshop in Paris, resulting in the destruction of many of his works. The artist passes away at a young age in Paris in 1995.
Since the early 1970s, Schad has been working with raw steel as the material for his sculptures. Using solid rods of square steel, he forges and welds simple, highly minimalist, or even whimsically shaped figures and installations. By consistently incorporating proportions found in the human body and nature, his creations take on an organic form that, despite the chosen material, can seem weightless. A distinctive aspect of his work is its integration into the surrounding environment. Whether interacting with architecture or nature, it always maintains an exciting balance.
Schad lives and works in Larians-et-Munans, in the Haute-Saône department of France. In addition to his studio, Schad has had his own sculpture park since 2004. In 2010, he was awarded the Goslar Kaiser Ring and his work was exhibited at the Mönchehaus Museum Goslar in Goslar.
At this moment an important Schad exhibition is being held at the Coppejans gallery.
Eva Lansink, a burgeoning contemporary artist based in Leiden, the Netherlands, possesses a unique skill set encompassing sculpture, graphic design, and photography. Her graduation masterpiece, DRIFT, comprised a collection of sculptures and etchings, accompanied by an art book. The story within explored an anthropomorphic realm where rabbits roamed free, unburdened by societal expectations, and fully embracing their fantasies without hesitation or guilt, challenging the receiver and observer alike.
In her latest photographic endeavor titled RAW, Lansink delves into the concept of raw love – an unbridled force guided solely by intuition and impulse. Her subjects are immersed in nature, unashamedly perverse and exhibitionistic.
The crux of Eva Lansink’s artistic expression lies in exposing the animalistic facets of human character, typically subdued to conform to societal norms. Through her work, she offers a glimpse into a world that exists beyond our mundane reality – one where our desires and needs can be indulged anonymously, free from the constraints of society.
www.ftn-books.com has t the DRIFT publication from an edition of 100 signed and numbered copies now available.
Rossi was born in Milan and began working for Ignazio Gardella and Marco Zanuso in 1956. From 1955 to 1964, he served as the editor-in-chief of Casaballa-Continuita. In 1966, he authored the book “Architettura Della Città,” which became a bestseller and was translated into 8 languages. Rossi also taught at the Polytechnic University in Zurich, Milan, Venice, and New York, and has been the director of the Venice Biennale since 1983.
He believes that it is impossible to think without a certain obsession. For him, that obsession consists of abstraction and reduction, two elements that can be found in all of his designs through their geometric simplicity. Rossi is known to us as the architect of the Bonnefant Museum in Maastricht.
Dieteren embodies the various hues of the painter’s urge. The lure of the paint, the seduction of form, drenched in a plethora of colors, all while never losing sight of unity in invention. All components of the work are interconnected and inextricably linked, with the focus on a cohesive whole. He gives this unity the space and time to “grow”, to evolve into a final masterpiece. His expressionistic yet introspective art is liberated from the obligation of fixating on overtly recognizable themes and motifs. The transitions of color can be sudden, sensual, or gradual, flowing into one another.
All of this creates a symphony, a harmony of paint and canvas, composition and content, and most importantly, plasticity and expressivity. Restrained yet effortlessly fluid, spontaneous, seemingly naive but deeply calculated and conscious. Dieteren’s body of work encompasses all of this and more. The doubt that lingers between the lines is deliberate and contrived. For even though Dieteren initially follows the principles of line, hand, and movement, he never forgets to engage his thoughts. He is capable of creating from the deepest spontaneity of hand and paint, with reason and direction, never haphazardly. He knows the path laid out before him. His mind never loses sight of the flow of the line. “Objectification, the intensification of reality through his own experience of the object, that is, according to him, the ultimate intention of his most intimate work.”
www.ftn-books.com has the Bommel van Dam book on Dieteren now available.
Artist/ Author: Oliver Boberg
Title : Memorial
Publisher: Oliver Boberg
Measurements: Frame measures 51 x 42 cm. original C print is 35 x 25 cm.
Condition: mint
signed by Oliver Boberg in pen and numbered 14/20 from an edition of 20
