Wim Delvoye is a sculptor, performer, and video artist. He received his education in Ghent and represented Belgium at the 1990 Venice Biennale. Two years later, he displayed pigs at Documenta IX (Kassel) that were tattooed under anesthesia with the help of a veterinarian. In 2003, however, his pigs were not allowed at the Watou Poetry Summer.
Delvoye’s work combines a fascination with craftsmanship with production processes that are not directly related to art. His Caterpillar #5, which was featured at ARTZUID 2011, is a characteristic example of this. Irony and banality often play a role. He does not shy away from provocation, but at the same time presents his work as very serious, leading to discussions. He was a participant at ARTZUID 2019, and in 2023, he will participate with Untitled, the well-known cement mixer in a Gothic form.
He plays with ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, blending social hierarchies and classes. Meanings and associations are often not what they seem. The pig – traditionally a smart animal – has become a product for the meat industry. A pale pink counterpart to humans, a symbol of stupidity.
His Cloaca produces anonymous feces, a metaphor for creation itself and a simultaneous relativization. Delvoye is more interested in societal questions than in the form of his work. Art should shock.
Delvoye’s work is included in the collections of major art museums. In 2008, he bought Corroy-le-Chateau at a public auction to turn it into a museum of contemporary art. However, this did not come to fruition. Later, he bought a castle in Melle, where he clashed with authorities over building and environmental offenses. He also opposed the construction of wind turbines around the estate.
www.ftn-books.com has several publications on Delvoye now available.
In the year of 1929, a group of Polish artists united under the enthusiastic leadership of the married couple, forming the Grupa a.r.: the “revolutionary artists’ group” or the “true avant-garde”. They tirelessly defended abstract art in manifestos and polemical articles, while also curating a collection of works generously donated by like-minded artists from all over Europe, including Fernand Léger, El Lissitzky, Jean Arp, Theo van Doesburg, and Vantongerloo. In 1931, the collection found a permanent home in Łódź at the Muzeum Sztuki, co-founded by Strzemiński. Kobro and Strzemiński continued to add their own works to the collection.
The exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum showcases a portion of this collection, as well as highlights from the diverse oeuvre of this artistic couple. In addition to sculptures and paintings, visitors can admire drawings, collages, interior designs, and typographic layouts. These works bear witness to an unparalleled spirit of experimentation, bridging the pure abstract art of De Stijl with the suprematism of Malevich and others.
www.ftn-books.com has the Kunstmuseum invitation now available.
Arno Nollen (1964) is a storyteller. In his investigative work, the focus is on the series of photographs; he is not interested in a single, standalone photo. The series, often with minimal nuances, exist in a realm between film and photography. Through repetition, they unconsciously spark associations, comparisons, and memories in the viewer. Emotions of fascination, excitement, disapproval, and discomfort arise, and the individual’s own story is created. Nollen uses various media to present his images, including books, videos, prints, and installations. For the Hague Photo Museum, he created eight new photo series from hundreds of photos in his archival collection (1997-2016), together forming the remarkable installation Just.
Collector of Emotions Nollen works without a specific concept or method and considers himself a “collector of emotions.” The only standard is the precision with which Arno Nollen captures his feelings in images. It is almost tangible how his personal doubts, obsessions, and tender feelings often align with those of his subjects. In the series characterized by minimal differences and shifts in pose, gaze, and actions of the model, giving them an almost cinematic quality, Nollen aims to compare moment to moment. Good observation is key for Nollen.
Arno Nollen graduated from the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam in 1997. For his graduation presentation, he received the Esther Kroon Award and was nominated for the NPS Culture Prize in 1998. He exhibits his work extensively.
What is often unknown is that Heyboer was a celebrated artist in the 1960s and 1970s, with his work being acquired by the MoMA in New York, exhibited at the Documenta in Kassel, and honored with major exhibitions at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. In 1975, he was even presented alongside David Hockney and Lucian Freud at LACMA in Los Angeles as one of the most prominent European painters of that time. Now, forty years after his last major museum exhibition, the Gemeentemuseum aims to once again showcase the international caliber of his oeuvre. This exhibit highlights the evolution of his work, emphasizing the period from 1956 to 1977, while also shedding light on the “system” that the artist utilized to make life bearable for himself. It is evident how the life and work of Heyboer are inextricably intertwined.
In 1960 maakt Anton Heyboer een tekening voor zijn vrouw Maria. In deze tekening Mijn leven verantwoord maakt hij aan haar duidelijk wie hij is en hoe hij het leven samen voor zich ziet, met haar als centrum en structuur van zijn leven. Samen met Maria vertrekt hij uit Amsterdam. Heyboer, die door de oorlog zwaar getraumatiseerd was – hij overleefde een werkkamp in Duitsland – en al een opname in het psychiatrisch ziekenhuis Santpoort achter de rug had, zou anders vermoedelijk aan de drank en chaos in die grote stad ten onder zijn gegaan. Hij gaat met Maria zijn vierde huwelijk aan, maar zij is de eerste van de vijf vrouwen met wie hij uiteindelijk in Den Ilp samenleeft. De tekening is te zien in de eerste zaal van de tentoonstelling en is een duidelijk voorbeeld van de wijze waarop Heyboer via zijn etsen en tekeningen een systeem creëert om grip op zijn demonen te krijgen. Het is de kunst die zijn leven redt.
Reimagine Heyboer’s 1960s and 1970s etchings as a prime example of his artistic prowess. Within the established hierarchy of the arts, graphics are often seen as a lesser form, used primarily for reproductions and limited edition works. However, Heyboer’s etchings defy this notion, as each one boasts its own unique composition, carefully crafted to be further refined after the printing process. His incorporation of photography adds another dimension to his pieces, and yet, all his works maintain a cohesive and unmistakable connection. Heyboer’s enigmatic, mystical, and profoundly personal visual language sets him apart from the prevailing commercial art movements of the time, such as Pop Art and Minimal Art. In fact, a comparison could be drawn between him and his contemporaries, such as Joseph Beuys, who also employs self-created symbolism influenced by the horrors of World War II.
The power of Heyboer’s work and its distinctive position within the art world has not gone unnoticed. From the 1960s onwards, the MoMA in New York repeatedly purchases his works. He also exhibits at various editions of Documenta in Kassel; in 1959, 1964, and 1969. The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag also frequently acquires Heyboer’s works from the 1960s onwards and in 1967, under the curatorship of Hans Locher, organizes the first major retrospective exhibition of Heyboer’s graphic works. Locher is also one of the first art historians to interpret Heyboer’s symbolism, forging a deep connection between them.
In 1975, Anton Heyboer, now an internationally celebrated artist, receives a major exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Here, he displays large paintings for the first time. The exhibition can be seen as a pinnacle, but also as a turning point in his continuously growing international reputation. Heyboer increasingly struggles with his role as a successful artist. At the end of the exhibition, almost all the paintings return to his estate, where he once again attacks them with red paint, essentially destroying the original works. He withdraws from the art world, adopts a humorous attitude, and starts selling his works himself from his estate in Den Ilp. The art world can no longer take him seriously, but he gains fame in the world of show business and tabloid gossip.
The work of Maaike Schoorel appeals to the visual abilities of the viewer. A closer look reveals that the seemingly monochromatic surface is composed of painted layers: creamy or ethereal, white or intensely black. With extended observation, one can discern forms, figures, or even a representation.
At first glance, Maaike Schoorel’s canvases seem nearly empty. One can spot subtle brushstrokes, soft color nuances, a glimmer here and there. In search of footholds, the eyes begin to scan over the canvas. Only after a longer period of time does a representation reveal itself: a still life with a bottle of Spa Blue, a picnic party dressed in casual clothing, a beach scene, or a landscape.
Maaike Schoorel’s subjects are often rooted in classic painting genres, yet possess a distinct contemporary character. She uses homemade snapshots, photos from her own family albums, or stored memories and dreams as a starting point. Painted sparingly, the representations create an interval between seeing and understanding, in which the viewer’s imagination is stimulated.
In a visual culture dictated by an excess of rapidly changing stimuli, Maaike Schoorel’s paintings hold a unique place. Seemingly empty, the canvases force one to slow down and require a conscious observation from the viewer. Just as silence can be deafening, the works demand the utmost concentration from the eye.
www.ftn-books.com has the inviation for the GEM exhibition now available.
Originally involved with the Arte Povera movement, Italian artist Alighiero Boetti (1940–1994) quickly forges his own path. From the 1970s onwards, he gains recognition with his playful, colorful embroidery works, which he has made in Afghanistan. The works seem to express a mysterious system in which compositions of letters and words, and (world) maps play a significant role.
At the beginning of his career, Boetti primarily works with everyday materials found in wholesale stores in his hometown of Turin: from PVC pipes to industrial lighting to the paper doilies that pastry chefs use to beautifully present their pastries. In 1968, he builds a Roman column out of a stack of these papers (Colonna). Very different are the works that emerge in the 1970s, when Boetti regularly travels to Kabul. During one of his first visits, he gets the idea to ask his Afghan friends to have their wives embroider texts that he had previously depicted in silkscreens, multiples and conceptual works. These traditionally made arazzi (Italian for tapestries) open up new possibilities for Boetti: they allow him to create unique works of art serially, with rich meanings, without requiring his intervention.
The Afghan weavers and embroiderers have left their mark on many of Boetti’s arazzi, for instance by determining the colors in which the letters are embroidered. Boetti sees this as a subversive action, a way to disrupt the art world.
www.ftn-books.com has beside several publications on Alighiero Boetti also the Arazzi invitation now available.
From 1995 until 2003, Matthias Weischer studied at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in the East German city of Leipzig, where he was influenced by Neo Rauch and met artists such as David Schnell. This led to the formation of a group of like-minded artists, known as the Neue Leipziger Schule, who focused on the quality of painterly aspects. Their large-scale paintings with a theatrical character quickly gained attention and the young group soon conquered the art market.
In the 1950s and 1960s Weischer made a name for himself with his paintings of weathered interiors and forgotten studios where time seems to have stood still. These rooms are arranged like stage sets, overflowing with furniture, lamps, carpets, and draperies, provoking a series of questions: Who lived here and who chose the furniture? Were these rooms ever actually lived in, or are they products of the imagination? He draws inspiration from illustrations in cultural history books or interior design magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, but distorts them in a way that removes any specific indication of time or region. With exceptional technical skill, Weischer evokes our collective memory and confronts us with fragments from our own past in a thought-provoking way.
Following his stay at Villa Massimo in Rome in 2007, Weischer’s work undergoes intriguing changes. He begins to paint with more freedom, intuition, and spontaneity, resulting in smaller and more poetic works. Gone are the large quantities of objects, replaced by a single tree trunk, a rug, or a skull. The colors used in his paintings evoke the feeling of Italian frescoes. A prime example of this development is seen in the painting ‘Paneele’ from the museum’s collection. Weischer started this canvas in 2006, but did not complete it until 2008.
As a prominent figure in the world of Italian design, Alessandro Mendini (1931) has made significant contributions over the past decades. In collaboration with the Italian company Alessi in 1992, he created a prototype of a white porcelain vase, which was then adorned by artists from all around the globe. The result of this endeavour – 100% makeup – is truly exceptional. From March 10th to August 19th, you will have the opportunity to behold all of these masterpieces.
The decorations on these vases were done by renowned names such as American architect Robert Venturi, French design legend Philippe Starck, Japanese fashion designer Yoshiki Hishinuma, and Dutch visual artist Peter Struycken. Thanks to the diverse cultural backgrounds of the one hundred designers involved, Mendini’s white prototype vase has been imbued with one hundred unique meanings.
Measuring 38.5 centimeters high, Mendini’s prototype vase for this project features a lid. Only one hundred copies were made of each vase, resulting in a total of 10,000 numbered editions.
Richard Hutten not only designs chairs, but also collects them. Since graduating from the Design Academy in Eindhoven, he has been buying unique pieces or trading them with fellow designers for one of his own creations. His collection now boasts more than 100 seating objects, ranging from prototypes to iconic design classics, from graduation projects to one-of-a-kind models. The Gemeentemuseum showcases Hutten’s personal collection alongside chairs of his own making, such as the Berlage chair, which is based on architect H.P. Berlage’s lounge chair. The exhibition is filled with contemporary, playful, and conceptual designs from renowned names from both the Netherlands and abroad.
Richard Hutten – Sit! presents a hundred chairs that, according to the Dutch designer, matter. Whether it’s because of their groundbreaking design or because the maker holds a special place in his heart. All the seating objects in the exhibition come from Hutten’s private collection or his own body of work, which spans from the 1990s until today.
Julie Cockburn, born in 1966, is renowned for her intricate handiwork and her ability to transform ordinary and discovered items into works of art. Based in UK, Cockburn masterfully manipulates found objects and images – including ceramic sculptures, paintings, photographs, printed paper, and books – to evoke both novelty and spontaneity.
Having studied at the Central St Martins School of Art and Design and Chelsea School of Art in London, Cockburn defies the commonplace and mass-produced by infusing her personally crafted objects with significance. Her pieces, featuring childish embroidered patterns on discovered photographs and printed images, invite viewers to embark on a journey of artisanship and creation. By playing with the visual perception and consumption of objects, Cockburn’s work challenges the traditional notions of seeing, as showcased through her lighthearted exploration of materials.
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
