The opus of Michel Hoogervorst (1961, Netherlands) comprises drawings, etchings, and paintings made with acrylic and alkyd paint. The use of lines and planes divides the canvases into compartments. Within these grids, the artist tells his story. His work often depicts subdued observations of everyday objects and subjects. At times, the details of the subjects or objects may be recognizable, but more often than not, they are abstracted into clear forms that exude a deep serenity through their monumental composition.
www.ftn-books.com has some titles on Hoogervorst now available. Including some original etchings published by Any Art.
Marian Bijlenga draws inspiration from her surroundings, finding beauty in nature and patterns found in walls, floors, sandpaper, and fish scales. Through her art, she creates objects and develops intricate structures using textile materials such as cotton, paper, and horsehair. However, her focus is not on the material itself, but rather on the form it can take. She is fascinated by lines, graphological symbols like the alphabet, writing, electrocardiograms, Chinese characters, and fractals. She explores the rhythm in lines and the space between them, utilizing contrasts to form a unique signature. Her technique and choice of materials are interwoven, with the line being the thread that ties everything together. The flexibility of textiles allows her to pursue her goal of discovering new forms, whether it be in clear, transparent structures or dense, intricate patterns.
Joncquil pursued his studies in Monumental Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts St. Joost in Breda. Since graduating in 1998, his professional practice has consisted of creating paintings, drawings, photographs, films, sculptures, and installations. The overarching theme in his work is “Time” and its passing. The images he conjures seem to be a blend of dreams, hallucinations, and memories. The figurative and abstracted representations shed light on a never-ending process. Through his often humorous work, Joncquil simultaneously showcases the light and dark sides of “Being.” His work can be regularly seen in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally and is included in various collections.
In his work, Frank Halmans (1963) often explores the domestic world and considers a home as a place where life oscillates between a public and a private sphere. Halmans delves into how we, as humans, inhabit these two distinct areas. One could call the artist a “house expert”: he is a skilled carpenter, plumber, and mason, and therefore knows everything about houses. Yet, within his work, houses or parts thereof take on a dreamlike form. In this respect, his series of “architectural vacuum cleaners” depicts his vision well. For this series, the artist transformed several vacuum cleaners into small architectural households with separate rooms, emphasizing their individual characters. He turned the machines, which we usually use to keep our households clean, into individual and standalone objects. The dirt is now efficiently sucked up and can be seen as a metaphor for everything we collectively gather in both our memories and their physical manifestation as objects in our homes.
Daniele Galliano was born in 1961, in the quaint town of Pinerolo. His insatiable thirst for knowledge led him to be a self-taught artist. As early as the 1990s, he began to showcase his exceptional talent in his hometown, Turin, where he currently resides and works. In a remarkably short period of time, his works earned him a distinguished position in the emerging Italian painting scene.
Galliano’s unique approach to art, characterized by “photographic realism,” has paved the way for him to participate in significant solo and group exhibitions all around the globe.
In 2006, he was invited by Antonio Zaya to exhibit his work at the prestigious Ninth Biennale of Havana. In 2009, he reached new heights by showcasing his work at the 53rd Biennale of Venice, followed by a splendid display at the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kerala in 2016.
Additionally, Galliano has had numerous solo exhibitions, including those at the Galleria Annina Nosei (New York, 1996 and 1997), Galleria In Arco (Turin, 1992 and 1994), and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (Rome, 1996).
His impeccable work has also been featured in various collective shows at prestigious galleries such as the Galleria d’Arte Moderna of Bologna, XII Quadrennial in Rome, Galleria Civica of Trento, Rupertinum Museum of Salzburg, Magasin of Grenoble, and the Palazzo delle Papesse in Siena.
The demand for Galliano’s paintings has earned him a place in some of the most coveted public and private collections. Some notable ones include the Galleria Civica d’arte Moderna and Contemporanea in Turin, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, MART of Trento and Rovereto, and the Unicredit Private Banking Collection of Milan.
Apart from his exceptional work in the art world, Galliano has also collaborated with esteemed musicians, directors, and writers over the years, further elevating his already celebrated reputation.
www.ftn-books.com has several p[ublications on Galliano now available.
Renowned as the world’s leading magical realist painter, sculptor, and lithographer, Michael Parkes has achieved remarkable success in the modern art world. Today, he remains highly sought after in both the primary and secondary markets, with his works actively collected by celebrities, esteemed private collectors, and galleries around the globe. His oeuvre appeals to all ages.
It’s worth mentioning that his first solo show was held in Amsterdam in 1977. Since then, Michael Parkes has exhibited in renowned venues such as Basel Art in Switzerland, Art Chicago, Art Fair NY, Frankfurt Bookfair, Amsterdam Art Fair, Tefaf Art and Antiques Fair Maastricht, and numerous exhibits in various galleries in Amsterdam and New York since 1977.
Born in 1944 in the post-war era, Michael Parkes is a quintessential member of the hippie generation. While studying graphic art and painting at the University of Kansas, he developed his unique style. Perhaps his decision to abandon art and travel to India in search of philosophical enlightenment influenced this. Prior to his hiatus, Michael Parkes had painted in the commonly used abstract expressionist style among his teachers. However, after his period of contemplation, he began drawing and painting in a meticulous style of intricate depiction that enabled him to fully express his inner world of images.
Primarily realistic in nature, his subject matter has a magical quality, and this has defined his work as magical realism ever since.
Having extensively studied the esoteric teachings of both the East and West, Michael Parkes’ visual language draws from a range of wisdom, including the Kabbalistic and Tantric, but embodies forms from his own imagination that are immediately accessible. Here, strange creatures meet mysterious landscapes, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.
www.ftn-books.com has a great selection of Parkes publications availabe.
Coen Vernooij crafts both freestanding sculptures and wall sculptures. Both are composed of delicate metal rods, adorned with iron mica paint or powder coating. The rods demarcate a space, one yet to be fulfilled. In terms of form, they are highly lucid abstractions, reduced to their ultimate essence. At first, it may seem that one can take in everything at a glance. However, upon further inspection, this is not necessarily the case. Where am I exactly? Is this inside or outside? Does it serve as a boundary for a space, or does the space evolve from within the sculpture itself? The standing sculptures must remain free-standing and can be placed both indoors and outdoors. One must be able to walk around them. Shadows of the lines join in the game. With every step taken, the image changes in unpredictable ways.
Is Vernooij a constructivist, or rather a romantic? At first glance, the works seem meticulously measured, exhibiting a constructivist approach. However, the openness of the pieces also evokes a longing for distant lands. And that is romantic. Vernooij’s work can perhaps be described as ‘Zen’. Detached from longing, but also detached from calculated construction. The work is abstract, yet not strictly rational or formalistic. Vernooij pushes the boundaries of reality. He moves within the realm where reality and illusion meet. Fragments of sound, whiffs of scent, interrupted conversations, gentle touches. Experiences that, as Coen puts it, demand to be completed. He gives these heightened moments an equivalent in visual form. What insight does this translation to line sculpture offer? Fragile, light, and open works. Beautiful in their simplicity and penetrating in their complexity. Is that the message? What appears simple may actually be complex. And what may seem complex can be reduced to simplicity.
Since 2000, Vernooij has had over 40 exhibitions in various locations, primarily in the Netherlands.
Conceptual artist Mischa Kuball has devoted his craft to the realms of public and institutional spheres since 1977. As a master of utilizing light as a medium, he delves into the depths of architectural spaces, exploring social and political discourses. With a keen eye for detail, he reflects on various aspects, from the intricacies of sociocultural structures to the impact of architectural interventions, highlighting and reinterpreting their significance in the grand narrative of architectural history. In his politically motivated participation projects, public and private spaces seamlessly merge, creating an ambiguous whole. Serving as a platform for communication between the audience, the artist, and the artwork itself, these projects bring to life the power and influence of public spaces.
Since 2007, Mischa Kuball has held the esteemed position of Professor for public art at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. Prior to that, from 2006 to 2008, he served as a professor for media art at the Hochschule für Gestaltung/ZKM in Karlsruhe. In 2015, he was elected a member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts in Duesseldorf, a prestigious honor befitting his contributions to the artistic world. In 2016, he was awarded the esteemed German Light Award, a testament to his mastery of utilizing light as a medium in his artistic endeavors.
Hélio Oiticica (1937 – 1980) is widely regarded as one of Brazil’s most prominent artists of the twentieth century, serving as a touchstone for contemporary art since the 1960s. His oeuvre is primarily characterized by freewheeling, participatory creations, including performative environments, cutting-edge films, and abstract paintings. At the tender age of 20, Oiticica was already a significant member of the legendary Rio de Janeiro-based Grupo Frente (1954-56), his bold experimentation with geometric shapes and vibrant hues transcending the simplistic lines of European constructivism and imbuing his work with a lively rhythm that echoed the avant-garde music and poetry of his native Brazil. In the late 1950s, Oiticica would continue to emerge as a leading figure of Brazilian Neo-Concretism (1959-61), alongside other groundbreaking artists such as Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, and poet Ferreira Gullar. This would eventually pave the way for the emergence of the artistic movement known as Tropicalismo, named after Oiticica’s iconic 1967 work.
As time went on, Oiticica became increasingly emblematic of counterculture and an underground hero, prioritizing physical interaction and concerns regarding space and environment over mere aesthetics. As he eloquently stated, “Ambient art is the revolution against the traditional concept of painting and sculpture – things of the past. It gives rise to the creation of ‘ambiences’: from there comes what I call ‘anti-art’,” a concept he would later define as “the era of popular participation in the creative realm.” This generous and dynamic approach would greatly influence future generations of artists, particularly in his noteworthy Parangolés, or “livable paintings,” and comprehensive series of installations known as Núcleos (ceilings adorned with geometric panels, creating gradual chromatic experiences) and Propositions or Penetrables (intricate, maze-like architectural environments constructed with sand and semi-permeable cabins). This multi-sensory approach continued until his unfortunate passing in 1980 at the young age of 42.
The Chinese-Dutch artist has been greatly honored for his illustrations, which have influenced contemporary Dutch illustrators. He has won three Golden Brushes and his interactive picture book “Where is the Cake?” was awarded the 2005 Woutertje Pieterse Prize. In addition, he received the prestigious Max Velthuijsprijs in 2010, the most important Dutch lifetime achievement award for illustrators.
While initially starting out as a comic book artist, Thé Tjong King is best known as a draftsman and illustrator. A true storyteller at heart, he needs a narrative in order to create his art. He has even created several (picture) books without any text, fully allowing himself to unleash his imagination in his illustrations. His narrative drawings are filled with action, a blend of intricate details and seemingly naive depictions that have made his work immensely popular.
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
