In Now or never #3 GEM presents artists who graduated from the Royal Academy (Koninklijke Academie – KABK) in The Hague in 2014 and 2015. This year’s is a particularly good edition, not just because of the good artists but also because their works are very well exhibited. There is a sense of unity in the show in spite of all the differences. Every artist has a space of his/her own.
Some of Mirthe Klück’s works were shown at a small exhibition in Billytown’s Kitchen this summer (I reported about it here). I am eagerly awaiting even more new works.
The setting of Bjorn Barendse’s work in this show could hardly differ more from his presentation at the graduation show this year at the Royal Academy. His works, open to different interpretations, work very well together as an installation, as they did in his graduation show, but there is more breathing space for them in the GEM’s setting.
The works of Jordan Herregraven seem to be animal embodiments of human nature and compared to Herregraven’s graduation show they look quite naked and vulnerable in the bright lights of the GEM.
Martin Gabriel mixes virtual reality, “real” reality and inner space in his paintings and computerworks.
A very recent and quite interesting interactive work was on show at Noordwal 117 during Haags Hoogtij (the seasonal gallery night in The Hague). Disappointingly the program didn’t work when I visited GEM (please GEM/Gemeentemuseum, take care of these kind of things!).
Juuke Schoorl applies the human skin as artistic material in video and photography.
In the GEM Elise Sothys’ word-works have far more impact than they had in her graduation show. The you-me relationship between work of art and viewer in Sothys’ case is a strong and egocentric one that doesn’t tolerate any visual noise by other artists.
Lynne Brouwer explores the colours in waiting rooms etc. Though her photo book is interesting, i don’t very much see the point in her more monumental photo works. What is the point in duplicating the waiting room experience?
Vincent Both paints and draws on paper, or rather, he seems to draw from the paper, like a writer who sees his paper and thinks his text may be more in the paper than on it.
Olya Oleinic shows her Universal guide to everything again.
Those who admired Mickey Yang’s graduation show, as i did, will be familiar with her works presently on show.
I remember there should be smoke coming from this bowl, but didn’t see it when i visited GEM.
Esther Hovers’ presentation is about people in public space as seen by surveillance cameras. People become usually de-individualized in public space, but from the point of view of surveillance and security each person becomes an individual in another way. What’s more, these individuals could be you or me. What are you hiding in public space, while walking there? What makes you change your mind on a street corner?
Rixt de Boer shows a video-essay-triptych about haystacks in relation to people and landscape in Central Europe. Surprisingly, the haystack is a monument of solidity in this work. It is also a peaceful and pastoral finish to this fine exhibition.
(More pictures of the graduation shows can be seen here and here)
(full reviews in Dutch of the graduation shows can be read here and here)
[Click on the pictures to enlarge]
Bertus Pieters
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