Kimberly
As art history and archaeology students they only teach us about the past. There is so much to know about the world of art that it's impossible
to teach someone about the past and the contemporary art scene in
just three years. This is part of why I don't know much about the contemporary artscene. I do try to keep up and discover as many artists as I can.
It's just a big unknown world that begs to be discovered.
Even when drifting alone through my internal landscape …, 2015
Some
people might find what I have to say a bit of a shame, but you can't
know everything, right? Just a few months ago I first came in contact
with the name Rinus
van de Velde.
Since I started working at Kunst in Huis earlier this year, I know more about the contemporary art scene in
Belgium. My colleague knows a lot about this, which makes it
interesting to work with her.
After
a day of working I went home and immediately googled his name. A
whole new world opened and everywhere where I looked the name Rinus
van de Velde popped up. From the first moment I needed to know more
about his work. I don't know what spoke to me the most about his
work, his use of charcoal (I personally love working with this
material), his subjects (the way he constructs everything he draws in
real life aswell), …
On
the left a part of "I’ve been in a similar position before:
attacked by a personified outside..." (2015) - On the right
"When I first met the prodigy child, Conrad called him the
‘other’ writer …" (2015)
Hannah in front of "I bathe myself on a daily basis in an unlikely tub that was built by my assistant,... (2015)" and "Still suffering from acute memory loss …" (2015)
A
few days ago I stumbled upon an article about the opening of an
exhibition of Rinus van de Velde. Which brings me to the subject of
this weeks blogpost, my visit to TimVan Laere gallery in Antwerp.
I
was joined by Hannah Dick, a name you should remember, she is an
contemporary Belgian painter and a high school friend of mine. (If you stick around you might even see a interview with her pop up on this blog.)
"An investigation into the hyperpersonal ..." (2015)
Detail of "An investigation into the hyperpersonal ..." (2015)
Detail of "An investigation into the hyperpersonal ..." (2015)
The
gallery was filled with monumental works and words filled up the gaps
in between the frames. What you see here is the end of a long
process. Prior to the result he builds the constructions you see on
the final work. He designs and constructs these sets in his studio. After the building process he
photographs the whole thing.
Through his work he tries to construct a persona, a fictional character, another side of him. Letting this fictional character do all the things that he wouldn't be capable of. He accompagnies his drawings with short texts which helps you understand what you see.
These quote of Rinus in a interview with Koen Sels explains it all perfectly : "... the image is not to be trusted: to start
with, it can be interpreted in so many different ways. I counter that by
creating a clear and specific context with the caption. But my work is
based on the idea of myself as the protagonist in a fictional
autobiography. I do not believe it is worthwhile to be honest about
myself. Why should the so-called truth about myself be interesting as a
subject? In any case, I would soon run out of things to say. On the other
hand, I do spend all day on that fictional life, so to some extent it is also
my real life. Compare it to the fake bus shelters that are sometimes
installed in the gardens of nursing homes: they give residents with
dementia the feeling they can get away if they want to, which reduces
their need to escape."
On
the left a part of "Still suffering from acute memory loss …"
(2015)
and on the right "Ill
as never before, I wander through a tropical heat,..." (2015)
There is so much more to say about this artist, which might happen in the future. But for now I'll let you enjoy the photos and see for yourself how interesting Rinus van de Velde his work is.
Kimberly in front of "Every mental jungle needs its jungle king" (2015)
More about Rinus van de Velde :
Tim Van Laere gallery : artist profile
Rinus van de Velde his website
A very interesting conversation between Rinus van de Velde and Koen Sels
The exhibition runs until the 10th of October 2015.
The exhibition runs until the 10th of October 2015.
_____
Kimberly
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