Perspectives on contemporary art
This is the second feature in a series where art professionals discuss their position in the art world, how they got there and their responsibilities. In this edition Yana Eekert, a young installation artist, explains her education, her process of creation and her current pursuits. Continue reading “Art Careers – Yana Eekert”
Between world leading countries Russia and China lies Mongolia, a country with a long history of visual art, starting with cave paintings sometimes dating back 8000 years. Throughout the centuries painting has remained strongly represented in Mongolia’s art tradition, frequent subjects were the Mongolian landscape, animals and the nomadic lifestyle. For a long time there was also a focus on decorative arts and crafts, inspired by Tibetan and Chinese examples. During the Mongolian Empire (13th and 14th century) not a lot of fine art was made, yet it was highly appreciated and the leaders of the dynasty became important patrons of the arts and promoted the spread of art. Continue reading “Intricate Mongolian Media Art”
This is part two of an article on Hendrik Driessen, director of De Pont, a museum for contemporary visual art in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The first part is about how he became director of De Pont and about his responsibilities. This article describes his daily activities, his vision on the museum and the buying of new works. Continue reading “Art Careers – Hendrik Driessen (Part 2)”
Photographs: Courtesy of De Pont Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.This is the first article in a series where art professionals discuss their position in the art world, how they got there and their responsibilities. The kick off for this series is based on a conversation with Hendrik Driessen, director of De Pont, a museum for contemporary visual art in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Continue reading “Art Careers – Hendrik Driessen (Part 1)”
The painter Wassily Kandinski believed that art should tap into a similar feeling of delight within the beholder as music often does. However in conversations about art it seems many people are convinced of the idea that one must have knowledge of art, especially of abstract art, in order to appreciate it. This notion appears to be confirmed by museums who, in their continual search for attracting a broad audience, invest in arts education so people can understand and therefor admire art. But is knowledge and understanding really the key to appreciate art? Continue reading “In the mind of the beholder”
What does the future look like? There have been many storytelling examples of future scenarios in which many processes have been automated. In these visions robots will replace people in their jobs, but where does that leave humans? And while these ideas about our future seem far away they are actually quite close. Think about the self-driving cars which are being tested and improved as we speak, which will make chauffeurs obsolete. What do these developments mean for making money in order to cover your living expenses in our capitalist society? This is the concept of artist Manuel Beltrán’s current project named Institute of Human Obsolescence.
In a relatively short time span technology is being developed at a rapid pace. Where scenarios of robots behaving like humans once seemed a nearly impossible idea, now that far away future is actually quite close. The relationships between nature and technology is getting more and more integrated as the last is used to reproduce or replace natural elements. This intersection is the essence of artist Christiaan Zwanikken (1967). Recently he had an exhibition at the Electriciteitsfabriek or the Zwanikken Fabriek, for the occasion.
Most people take photographs to capture the memorable moments in their life. They want to be able to look at these images and reminisce about the events of the past, share them with others and tell the stories. Photography is regarded as a suitable medium for this because it relies on reality to be able to capture an image. So even though photographs can be manipulated, most people still consider them to be showing truths, what is seen in the picture must have happened at some point in time. It is this aspect of photography which surfaces in the exhibition Ask the Dusk by photographer Lara Gasparotto at the Fotomuseum Den Haag.
Every person has expectations when deciding to visit an exhibition, depending on how much you already know of the art on show beforehand. Still some artists manage to take you by surprise in doing something that raises different thoughts or feelings then you imagined. Dutchman Wim T. Schippers (1942) is such an artist, he has made installations that will leave you wondering for why and how etc.
Art at Present 