In summer many galleries take a break and are closed, but Nouvelles Images has a summer exhibition, this time curated by Hans van der Ham who chose some artists, not necessarily connected to the gallery. The show is aptly named The Ebony Tower. It is a fine show full of imagination.
One of the artists is Aldwin van de Ven who made this wintery landscape. In the snowy mountains a (young?) couple is walking and
there is also a cross, maybe a grave, but where from are you watching them?
In this painting by British artist Robert Nicol you may wonder what these persons are looking for and in whose honour that funny statue is.
Another painter with a sense of both humour and the surreal is German Marie Aly
while Van de Ven portrays himself as a carpenter with the right eye.
Van der Ham shows works of his own as well, amongst which this figure full of wonder.
It is not clear which way these figures by Nicol will send you or from what world they themselves are coming.
Anyway, following the direction of the pointing finger,
you may meet Aly’s Hungarian woman,
exquisite,
maybe even too exquisite.
Rens Krikhaar is also part of the gang, always looking for the sublime and
the monstrous, the extravagant and death, while
in Swedish painter Oskar Nilsson’s work death is the only end to all humour.
Works by Belgian sculptor Anton Cotteleer are more or less omnipresent in The Hague at the moment,
as they are also on show in A Gallery Named Sue (see here and here).
Something is being kept behind the mountain (hinterm Berg) in
this great improvisational sculpture by German artist Christian Henkel,
or maybe this is what is behind the mountain, but
as far as Krikhaar is concerned there is always a lot behind the mountain
and he is always prepared to show you, even
if you give up a few things, chasing a dream (it’s Krikhaar at his best again).
There seems to be another way of chasing dreams in this great sculpture by Van der Ham, while
another sharp eyed lady by Aly is watching.
From that point there is also a good view on Cotteleer’s sculpture, showing the improbable, if not the impossible.
Passing along another great sculpture by Van der Ham
you may find yourself in a Great Exhibition. Well, weren’t you already?
Adding to this Great Exhibition are certainly this trio of guards by Henk Visch.
It seems to be only a small jump from these one armed bandits to
the more or less surreal works by Van der Ham who also shows pictures.
Krikhaar offers a moment of contemplation on a poet’s mountain (Goethe or Heine would say it is Mount Brocken in the Harz Mountains)., and
if you love Wandern after that, Nicol will show you how to deal with a cucumber on a picknick.
Aly brings an ode to the recently discovered Lesula monkey and
to Freddy probably Mercury.
Visch shows some drawings.
Again, in Nilsson’s paintings humour ends in raucous laughter,
opposed by Van der Ham’s silent dog and man. Will they ever get closer to each other?
In the corridor some small sculptures are shown by Cotteleer
and Van der Ham, while
in the front gallery Nicol summarizes it all in a Duchampian painting and
Cotteleer brings a sacrifice. Van der Ham has made an exciting exhibition full of wonder, humour and a good dose of surrealism. There is a lot more on show, so hurry to see i!. Next Saturday is the last day of the exhibition.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge)
Bertus Pieters
