Art Rotterdam is celebrating its 25th edition from Thursday 1 February to Sunday 4 February at the iconic Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam for the last time - but no less topical and innovative.
The 12th edition of Prospects will be showcasing work by 86 talented up-and-coming artists, there will be a spectacular collection of large-scale outdoor work and last but not least, there will be a brand-new section entitled Artistic Matter, made possible by Lakeside Capital Partners and presented by Stichting Galerie Weisbard and Annemarie Fine Art. From 2025, Art Rotterdam will be held at Rotterdam Ahoy.
Artistic Matter will be holding a prominent place at Art Rotterdam. On entering the main entrance to the old tobacco Factory, it is the first thing that visitors encounter. This section is all about the unique use of materials. Most artists work with traditional materials such as oil on canvas, watercolour on paper, bronze, wood or marble. But an increasing number of artists are opting for innovative techniques and unusual materials. Artistic Matter shines the spotlight on these artists. In this edition, Slovakian Rotterdam-based artist Tomáš Libertíny is presenting complex frameworks and structures in a beehive. Patiently guiding the bees in the construction process, a delicate connection between humans and nature emerges. The result is a unique stylised shape in beeswax. In collaboration with artist Tomáš Libertíny, Lakeside Bee Farm was built on the estate of the headquarters of Lakeside Capital Partners in the Overschie neighbourhood of Rotterdam. The longstanding relationship between the artist and, Ali Keles, Managing Partner of Lakeside Capital Partners, laid the foundation for this fruitful collaboration. His work can be found in the collections of MoMA, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, MAD/Palais de Louvre and the Lakeside Collection, among others.
Prospects is an initiative of the Mondriaan Fund that showcases work by 86 artists who received financial support in 2022 to launch their careers. The work on display ranges from photography to textile works, video to paintings and performances to sculptures. The exhibition is curated by Johan Gustavsson in collaboration with curator Louise Bjeldbak Henriksen, who explains, "During the 12th edition of Prospects, visitors will encounter work by 86 talented artists. Together these works of art provide a captivating snapshot of the development of contemporary art in the Netherlands. We appreciate the close collaboration with so many extraordinary artists and although the works of art vary widely in media and form, these artists all share an enthusiasm for what they do. This edition, the last at the iconic Van Nelle Factory, showcases artwork that is intimate and distinctive and explores such themes as identity, relationships, our interconnectedness with nature and other living beings - essential elements of what it means to be human. The work encompasses the universal aspects of existence."
In front of the entrance to the Van Nelle Factory and elsewhere on the premises, Art Rotterdam is presenting a spectacular collection of large-scale outdoor works of art. One of them is Studio Dré Wapenaar's Tentendorp-Herzien, a work that combines architecture, design and visual arts. There are four modules that are arranged on, under, next to and in front of each other. The tallest tent is erected on a four-metre-high platform next to a two-metre-high an 'air pit' and the lower tent has a 'seating pit' inside. Together they create the appearance of a village in which people are connected in every possible way. Galerie Nest is presenting the worksRADIATE ||&||| (EVIAN CHRIST) by Joeri Woudstra. The two crosses, made of speakers and stroboscopes, are part of a larger performance and installation series and play a pre-programmed light and sound composition. Atelier Van Lieshout is presenting a giant vulture with the title Vulture on the outdoor grounds. The vulture may not be the noblest bird in the animal kingdom, but is resourceful and tenacious all the same. A true survivor that Van Lieshout describes with a touch of irony as not so different from the artist himself. This is the first time that this functional sculpture can be seen in the Netherlands. Willem Besselink (NL=US Art) is fascinated by visible and invisible structures and patterns in the world around us. His sculpture Doorzicht (Perspective) presents a possible visualisation of the many existing structures. Prospects is displaying the work of multiple artists, including Sanne van Balen and Cecilia Bjartmar Hylta. Sanne van Balen's Stem is a 3D interpretation of a painted landscape to which she assigns linguistic meaning. Cecilia Bjartmar Hylta is responsible for the site- specific outdoor work Untitled (Dust), built from the dust she collected at the Van Nelle Factory.
Main Image :Almicheal Fraay
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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