July 4, 2014

Rietveld School of Art & Design graduation 2014

Filed under: Art,Design,Photography,Religion,Shows by Branko Collin @ 1:00 pm

rietveld-dog

The students graduating from Amsterdam’s Rietveld School of Art & Design (in Dutch, Gerrit Rietveld Academie) will be exhibiting their graduation projects until Sunday 6 July 2014.

24 Oranges was invited to come and take a peek.

rietveld-2014-casper-koster

rietveld-2014-casper-koster-2Some of the works, such as the dog above, were displayed without any explanation of what the student was trying to say—probably not necessary with a Disney-like creature anyway—or even the name of the maker. (There were sticky notes carrying the name Tim Maarse near this sculpture, but it wasn’t quire clear if the sticky notes referred to the sculpture or were a work unto themselves).

Other artists, such as photographer Casper Koster, left extensive documentation behind for visitors to peruse and take home. His series ‘Coulissen’ portrays actors as they are waiting in the wings of a stage for their next scene.

Setareh Magshoudi made a mobile mosque of paper: “From my own experience arose the need to create a space for my daily prayers, a temporary space which would provide private space and at the same time a sacred sense.”

setareh-maghsoudi

Jessie Hoefnagel was knitting something big. Unfortunately, her seat was in a warm spot because of the sun, so by the time I got there all I found was a note saying “not here until it gets bearable”.

rietveld-knitting

When I had finished walking around, three hours had passed and my feet were sore. Where did the time go?

I will post some more photos to Flickr when I get the chance (and will hopefully be able to add more names of the artists at the same time). Meanwhile, check out the exhibit in person if you have the chance or visit Trendbeheer, as Jeroen Bosch took a load of pictures.

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November 17, 2012

Caspar Berger’s self-portrait

Filed under: Art by Branko Collin @ 2:43 pm

Sculptor Caspar Berger made a bronze self-portrait based on a 3D scan of his skull.

At his website he writes:

In this project, Self-portrait 21, the 3D copy of the skull represents the true image (vera icon). This image has formed the basis for a facial reconstruction by a forensic anthropologist, who received the skull anonymously accompanied only by the information that it belonged to a man in his mid-40s born in Western Europe.

If you want to see if the forensic anthropologist did a good job, here is a photo of Caspar.

(Photo: Caspar Berger. Link: Boing Boing.)

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August 16, 2012

Mysterious Theo van Gogh statues around Amsterdam

Filed under: Art by Orangemaster @ 12:30 pm

Someone has left several statues of what looks exactly like Theo van Gogh, film director and controversial figure who was brutally murdered on the Linnaeusstraat in East Amsterdam back in 2004.

The resemblance is striking, as is the pose of the statue, which is precisely how Van Gogh was found, albeit without the letter knifed into his chest.

The little statues remain a mystery. Nobody knows anything about them yet. According to comments on Trendbeheer.com, it could be the same anonymous scupltor as the lumberjack in the tree.

More about the Unknown Sculptor on Wikipedia (in Dutch).

(Link: at5, Photo of Breast sculpture by Stacey B, some rights reserved)

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March 16, 2009

Artist Shinkichi Tajiri dies

Filed under: Art by Branko Collin @ 9:21 am

Sculptor Shinkichi Tajiri died a Dutchman in his home town of Baarlo in Limburg last Saturday, reports NOS Journaal (Dutch). The artist of Japanese-American descent who escaped the WWII concentration camps in the US by joining the army, left for Europe in 1948, disgusted that even a decorated hero like him was still considered just a Jap in his own country. However, he never renounced his nationality, feeling that he could only rightfully criticize America as an American. For most of his life he lived in Baarlo, Limburg, where he befriended my parents, and where last year he finally obtained Dutch citizenship.

Tajiri is perhaps best known for his large statues of knots, but one of my earliest memories were paintings and drawings of fantastic contraptions that could either be guns or cameras, preparing me for what nowadays is called steampunk. Sketches for some of these drawings can be found on Tajiri’s website under Drawings 1963 – 1968.

In his later years, Tajiri returned to these violent images, and a few years ago, he built four metal guardians that watch over the bridge between Blerick and Venlo, my birth town. Kunst in de Regio has a well illustrated story (Dutch) about the building of these statues.

To Ogendicht he explained his art (Dutch):

My warriors are attempts to suppress those fears, to cast off demons and to deal with nightmares. Only a small part of the 442 Regimental Combat Team, of which I was a part, survived the war. Many talented young people died on the battlefield, sometimes right next to me. That affected me deeply, along with the shootings, explosions and bayonet fights. For the past 60 years I have tried to provide shape to the psychological scars that all these impressive experiences have left.

Photo of a Tajiri knot by Marja van Bochove, some rights reserved.

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