Selection of events:
Hans Op de Beeck
THE ARMORY SHOW 2010: Amsterdam gallery Ronmandos presents Hans Op de Beeck and Renie Spoelstra
March 3 - 7 2010
Hans Op de BeeckÕs latest video-piece 'Staging Silence' is based around abstract, archetypal settings that lingered in the memory of the artist as the common denominator of the many similar public places he has experienced. The video images themselves are both ridiculous and serious, just like the eclectic mix of pictures in our minds. The decision to film in black and white heightens this ambiguity: the amateurish quality of the video invokes the legacy of slapstick, as well as the insidious suspense and latent derailment of film noir. The title refers to the staging of such dormant decors where, in the absence of people, the spectator can project himself as the lone protagonist.
Memory images are disproportionate mixtures of concrete information and fantasies, and in this film they materialise before the spectator's eyes through anonymous tinkering and improvising hands. Arms appear and disappear at random, manipulating banal objects, scale representations and artificial lighting into alienating yet recognizable locations. These places are no more or less than animated decors for possible stories, evocative visual propositions to the spectator. The film is accompanied by a score which, inspired by the images themselves, has been composed and performed by composer-musician Serge Lacroix.
Renie Spoelstra
On the back of a trip to New England in the US, Renie Spoelstra has produced a startling set of charcoal drawings which signal a marked shift in subject matter. The artist has maintained her usual working process; first capturing landscapes on film and then selecting stills from which to start drawing. However following her visit to the north-eastern states of the US, which is known for its beautiful light and has a long history as film location (The Stepford Wives, What Lies Beneath, The Ice Storm, Wolf, etc...), her work has become permeated by new subject matter and novel locations embodying the same contained tension that so epitomises her work.
Renie Spoelstra has had a number of solo and group show presentations throughout the Netherlands and Europe and will soon be preparing for a presentation at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. 2008 saw her crowned the Dutch Artistic Talent of the Year and her work is included in a number of public collections, such as the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam (NL), Centraal Museum in Utrecht (NL) and the MACBA in Barcelona.
Location:
THE ARMORY SHOW 2010, New York
Pier 94, Stand 742, Twelfth Avenue at 52nd & 55th Street, New York City
Website: www.ronmandos.nl
'Sanctuary' by Job Koelewijn, 2007
Double Dutch - New frontiers in contemporary Dutch art
Exhibition from 13 September - 26 July 2010
An exhibition celebrating the Dutch discovery of the Hudson River and its environs, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA), in Peekskill, New York, will showcase contemporary Dutch installation art with 16 artists. The exhibition will extend to the Hudson River waterfront where several major, site specific works will be shown. The selection involves artists with great promise - most have never exhibited in the US.
With: Job Koelewijn, Jennifer Tee, Dylan Graham, Alon Levin, Erik van Lieshout, Marc Bijl, Rob Voerman, Folkert de Jong, Daan Padmos, Maartje Korstanje, Serge Onnen, Lara Schnitger, Karen Sargsyan, Guido van der Werve, Martha Colburn, and Fendry Ekel.
Location:
The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
1701 Main Street, New York, Peekskill, NY 10566
Website: Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
Towing the Line, Drawing Space: 40 Contemporary Dutch Artists Defining the Moment in Holland
Exhibition from September 19 until Oktober 29
White Box is pleased to present Towing the Line, Drawing Space: 40 Contemporary Dutch Artists, Defining the Moment in Holland opening on Saturday September 19th and on view through October 29th. This exhibition coincides with NY400 ? the celebration of the 400-year sustaining relationship between New York and The Netherlands.
Towing the Line, Drawing Space presents work from forty contemporary artists who vary in age, and style. The works on view all relate to the field of drawing in al its varieties. The exhibition presents not only works on paper, and animations, but also sculptures, and site-specific work. The curators give a reflection of the current Dutch art scene, and it shows contemporary Dutch artists and their affiliation to the New York art world. This exhibition continues the tradition of cross-cultural influences in Dutch art, such as, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Mondriaan, and De Kooning.
This show offers an insight into a small nation with big ideas, which is translated through towing a line to define space. This exhibition gives you a unique opportunity to see some recognizable names while simultaneously revealing valuable new talents.
Location:
WHITE BOX
329 Broome St. (between Bowery and Chrystie), New York, NY 10002
T. 212. 714. 2347 E. info@whiteboxny.org
Amsterdam: Art manifestation 'My name is Spinoza'
A philosophy of tolerance
'My name is Spinoza', an initiative of the Amsterdams Spinoza Circle, is an ambitious art manifestation which will draw attention to the influencial work by the great 17th century philosopher Baruch Spinoza, who lived in Amsterdam some 400 years ago.
SKOR (Foundation Art and Public Space) is responsible for organizing the events which will take place on various locations in Amsterdam all through the summer.
'My name is Spinoza' also signals the start of a combined and concentrated effort to create a permanent Spinoza Centre, where works of art will be exhibited and where video recordings of conferences, debates and performances can be seen; but more importantly, where an international audience can learn more about the intellectual work of Spinoza, especially in relation to modern day's social and cultural issues.
Participating organisations and artists: de Appel, Elaine Sturtevant - Art Amsterdam - De Balie - Castrum Peregrini - Nicoline van Harskamp - De Inkijk - Francisco Camacho - Joods Historisch Museum - Raoul Teulings - Lloyd Hotel - Mediamatic - Zhana Ivanova - Dirk van Weelden - Maurice Nio - SMART Project Space - Freee - Pia Lindman - Ioana Nemes - Mark Titchner - Stedelijk Museum - Aernout Mik - Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, Jeremiah Day - Straat van Sculpturen / Open Source Amsterdam - Hirschhorn - Tijdelijk Museum Amsterdam - Violet Bureau - W139 - Job Koelewijn - Amsterdamse Spinoza Kring - Stichting Spinoza Centrum Amsterdam - SKOR
Amsterdam: May 8 - September 25, 2009
Opening 8 May 2009 - 4 PM - Mediamatic Bank
Download: Press Release (pdf)
Website: www.spinozamanifestatie.nl
Dutch Seen : New York Rediscovered
Exhibition from June 13 until September 13
The Museum of the City of New York celebrates the Hudson-year with an exhibition of Dutch photographers around
the theme 'Portrait of the City', curated by Kathy Ryan, head editor of the section photography of Times Magazine.
Contemporary Dutch photography, with portraits, landscapes, conceptual work and documentary photography, by Wijnanda Deroo, Morad Bouchakour, Charlotte Dumas, Erwin Olaf, Jaap Scheerer, Rineke Dijkstra, Helen van Meene, and others.
Web Museum of the City of New York: www.mcny.org
Wijnanda Deroo
New York Perspectives
Amsterdam discovered by NY photographers: May 14 - August 23
To mark the 400th anniversary, Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam and the Amsterdam City Archives (Stadsarchief), in cooperation with the John Adams Institute, have organised a photo exhibition about Amsterdam, as seen through the eyes of new York photographers.
The American photographers Gus Powell, Carl Wooley, Richard Rothman and Joshua Lutz were commissioned to explore a different aspect of the city: the street, the night, the water and the outskirts. This resulted in surprising images that reveal an unknown side of the Dutch capital. The New York photographers were struck by Amsterdam's small scale and peacefulness; but also by more subtle things such as the transparency of the Dutch houses with their big windows, which give every passer-by a glimpse inte the private world of the inhabitants. (press release)
'Yellow Van 'from the series Night', 2008 © Carl Wooley / Stadsarchief
Exhibion location:
Stadsarchief, Amsterdam
Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam: www.foam.nl
Read more at www.nyperspectives.com
New York - 'Dutch Voyage 2009'
A special show of cabaret performer Frans Bloem accompanied by pianist Guus Westdorp.
The 'Dutch Voyage 2009' show in New York sheds light on the inner journey the traveler, the explorer, the immigrant, who leaves behind the comfortable past to experience a new world. Songs of the traveler form the basis of this unique show. Once on the way with the songs of Ramses Shaffy and Charles Aznavour, we discover other inspiring travelers as well.
Frans Bloem, singer/entertainer and Guus Westdorp pianist/accompanist meet in a production brimming with life and quiet poignancy. A parade of songs in Dutch. French and English make up the revue. Together, they play with and for their audience, with a motivation and passion which one has come to expect from these two rising names in theaterland.
Frans Bloem was born in Holland, but has been a resident of New York City for 33 years. He is famed for his excellent interpretation of chansonnier Charles Aznavour, who personally allows him to sing his songs. His exceptional qualities as an entertainer not only make him "that singer with a beautiful voice" but also gives his performance an extra dimension that allows him to communicate in an intense way with his public.
In 2002 Bloem received the New York Bistro Award for outstanding cabaret vocalist.
Guus Westdorp has worked for more than 20 years in the professional music and theater world. He has been musical director to, among others, Toon Hermans, Ramses Shaffy and Liesbeth List. He has given his assistance to many recording and theater productions including the Edison recording of singer Lisa Boray's song "The Need to Be".
Location: Dutch Treat Club, Tilden Mansion, and the Netherlands Club, 3 W 51 Street: new York
MondriaanHuis - art exhibition
Paintings, wall sculptures and works on paper by Michael Berkhemer
The paintings of Amsterdam artist Michael Berkhemer may be characterized as non-representational, abstract or geometric. They are reminiscent of and may perhaps be considered to follow the tradition of the New York school of color field painting or abstract expressionism; however, to merely think in these categorical terms would diminish the quality of his work. Cornelia Homburg writes in the introduction of a recently published book about the painter: "Berkhemer's manner of working is unique. Nevertheless, as a Dutch artist, he is acutely aware of the traditions of abstraction in his own country as well as abroad. The work of Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, or Ellsworth Kelly has been important for his personal development as a painter." ('Michael Berkhemer' - Waanders Publishers)
Berkhemer paints with a highly evolved sense of composition, with an unusual degree of spacial clarity and a refined application of color.
Location: Mondraanhuis, Kortegracht 11, Amersfoort : (Exhibition is now finished)