For
those art lovers who missed it, Rotterdam was the place to be last week. It was
art week, which meant lots of openings and events organized around Art
Rotterdam. For the third time the art fair took place in the Van Nelle Factory,
befitting this purpose very well. This year was the second time the fair hosted
Intersections. Off the main fair areas and in the outbuildings Intersections
was the space where visitors could experience art without the pressure of possibly
buying something. Curator Suzanne Wallinga organized a diversity of
installations from several non-profit art spaces. From
video work to performances, sound installations, paintings, sculptures, moving
objects and even a complete house transferred from Detroit, one could see it at
Intersections.
Ryan Mendoza, Coming Home, 2015/2016. Presented by Verbeke Foundation.
Across the main entrance to the fair was a first part of Intersections,
where the visitor could encounter work by Joachim Coucke, Mark Pezinger Verlag
(Astrid Seme and Thomas Geiger), Leyla Aydoslu, Ton Boelhouwer, Hugo Duchateau,
Navid Nuur, Patty Morgan and Marijn Ottenhof.
Joachim Coucke, Frequently Answered Questions, 2016. Presented by Nest.
Hugo Duchateau, Kringloop (Basistitel) (detail), 1979-1989. Presented by Club Solo, set-off against Tom Boelhouwer's Floor 1.
Mark Pezinger Verlag (Astrid Seme and Thomas Geiger), Den Rechten Loon, 2016. Presented by RIB.
Navid Nuur,Untitled (Let Us Meet Inside You) (detail), 2005-2016. Presented by Garage Rotterdam.
With her Cordially invited Ottenhof questions the art world. The
installation consisted of a seating area, a white structure housing a screen
with video-connection to several artists and a guard who decides if you can
enter the installation. By being selective in admitting spectators into the
installation, Ottenhof ‘visualizes the gap between maker and audience’.
Marijn Ottenhof,Cordially Invited, 2016. Presented by Patty Morgan.
Another
artist who comments the art world and its characteristics is Tim Hollander. His
installation Institutional Soup could
be found in a different building housing Intersections. It reacted immediately to the surrounding
fair, which revolves around selling/buying art. Hollander is interested in the surroundings of
artworks (think of walls, exhibition texts etc.), he explores the concept of a
situation where the artwork stops being the most important object in its
ecosystem.
Tim Hollander,Institutional Soup(detail), 2016. Presented by P////AKT.
Next to Institutional Soup the visitor could enjoy Dirk Zoete’s
performance The Be-Part exercises. This
work reminds
me of images of the Dada performances at Cabaret Voltaire, where artists wore
costumes made out of all kinds of found materials. Only the Dada pieces were
illogical and sometimes even aggressive, where Zoete's performance seemed more
coherent and calm.
Dirk Zoete,The Be-Part exercises, 2016. Presented by the Be-Part Platform voor actuele kunst.
In the
same space one could find work by Antonio Jose Guzman, The Oceans Academy of
Arts, Kok & Deiman, The One Minutes and a group show curated by Vincent van
Velsen.
Antonio Jose Guzman,El Órgano Oriental (ELOO), 2015. Presented by Framed Framed.
Detail of group exhibitionMano Y Mano. Presented by Kunsthuis Syb.
In the
adjacent warehouse space the visitor could greet Theo Jansen’s Animaris Proboscis, walk into Maurice
Bogaert’s Camera Obscura #2, study
movement with Zoro Feigl’s Hula,
enjoy performances by Rens Muis, Pieter Vos and Folkert de Jong, make a small
exhibition with Hester Oerlemans’ Moving
Walls and listen to some sound installations by Gert-Jan Prins, Tom
Verbruggen, Goodiepal and Peter Fengler.
Theo Jansen, Animaris Proboscis, 2016. Presented by the Verbeke Foundation.
Zoro Feigl, Hula, 2015. Presented by the Verbeke Foundation.
Among all
these moving and sound making installations were two artworks in more
traditional mediums. Hadassah Emmerich occupied the back wall with five big
paintings, which attracted attention by sheer size, repetition and color. And
halfway down the hall was Helgi Thorsson’s Domti
Unico, a colorful collection of paintings, furniture, including the displays,
pottery and concrete sculptures.
Hadassah Emmerich, Cold Shoulder Series, 2016. Presented by Trendbeheer.
Helgi Thorsson, Domti Unico, 2016. Presented by 1646.
All in all
Intersections presented a varied but very well balanced program.