World Trade Centre The Hague has a small art gallery, like many official or representative institutions. Works on show at WTC are usually surprisingly good and the present show is no exception. On show are works by four young artists who were awarded prizes last year or who were nominees, as well as by four other artists.
However, the gallery space itself is far more problematic. When I visited, two of the three works by Jouni Toni (Royal Prize for free painting) were victim of the sharp midwinter afternoon sunshine.
And please ladies and gentlemen, Toni’s works are far too good and refined to hang them askew!
Comparing, Jonas Raps’ paintings (Heden Start Prize and nominee Piketprijs) are in a better position. The honoured artists all make colourful paintings but the presentation of their works by the gallery doesn’t really match a usual arts fair presentation.
Probably not much more is possible, but one would grant such wonderful paintings as Harry Markusse’s (nominee Royal Prize)
and Maarten van Soest’s (nominee Royal Prize) a bit more. Both artists make very fresh looking hardcore abstract paintings.
The exhibition has a sub-exhibition called Lichting ’15 (Class of ’15) with four artists who graduated last summer. The presented works by these artists are remarkably less coloured, but not less colourful.
There is only one work by Nora Axnick which might have come out better in another context. In spite of its dimensions it differs too much from the very strong works by the other artists.
The other works are by Romy Muijrers, whose works already stood out in her graduation show last year,
Joyce ter Weele whose works look at first glance a bit like abstract Muijrers (or the other way round) and
Wim Warrink, whose work (which was already present at last year’s Art The Hague) deserves a presentation of its own.
The sub-exhibition is, without too much direct daylight, better presented than the works of the four painters.
[Click on the pictures to enlarge]
Bertus Pieters