28 june 2024, Wouter van den Eijkel
Great Primer
Measuring no less than 2,800 m2, the Museum Of Young Art (MOYA) has plenty of space. In this museum for up-and-coming artists in Oosterhout, Brabant, the abstract art exhibition Great Primer is being held until 1 September. The exhibition provides an excellent overview of what is currently understood by that term. "Each of the works of art is the result of an individual journey undertaken by the artist."
At MOYA, things are done a bit differently than at a ‘regular’ museum. MOYA does not have its own collection, nor does it have much money, but what it does have is vast amounts of space and an enthusiastic, dedicated team with an eye for the latest developments and openness to collaboration with the gallery world. What this means is that MOYA showcases recent work by artists who are not yet represented at other museums. For artists, MOYA is an interesting because it can display work too large for the average gallery space, such as the one-and-a-half kilometre-long work by Dutch-Czech artist Roel van der Linden, currently part of the Great Primer exhibition. Another advantage of the large space at MOYA’s disposal is that work can be displayed for longer periods of time than at a gallery. Programming such large spaces is no easy task. Moreover, all of the exhibited work is for sale.
As a result, MOYA combines the accessibility of a museum with the sales aspect of a gallery. The museum’s initiator, artist Geert Kollau, did not like the way in which the art world operates, with its educational institutions, curators and committees, so he came up with the idea for an exhibition space where the path from studio to museum wall would be a lot shorter. For the past four years, Kollau has rented the Galvanitas halls from a project developer, but the museum will have to move to another location in Oosterhout next year.
Great Primer
This accessibility is also reflected in the structure of the Great Primer exhibition, which can be seen until 1 September in one of the three factory halls. The title refers to the primer layer applied to a canvas, after which anything is possible. "There is so much that falls under abstract art," explains curator Majke Hüsstege. "With this exhibition, we want to introduce visitors to different directions within abstract art in an easily accessible way."
Great Primer convincingly shows how each artist then takes his or her own path, creating work using different techniques and disciplines without direct reference to reality. According to the press release, "The abstract artworks in the exhibition are each the result of an individual journey undertaken by the artist."
Rechts Frans Klerkx, COPPEJANS GALLERY. Photo: Seye Cadmus
For 91-year-old Frans Klerkx, that journey began later in life. Since the death of his wife in 1997, he has been building an oeuvre centred on paper folding. As simple as that starting point may seem, intricate constructions emerge over time, consisting of no more elements than strictly necessary. A large number of Klerkx's paper models have now been executed in corten steel, steel or aluminium.
The contrast to the large canvases of Koen Delaere could hardly be greater, but Delaere (BE, 1970) also imposes limitations on himself. To give himself maximum freedom on the canvas, he sets a number of fixed conditions for each series in terms of material, tools, support and actions. He uses only standard-sized canvases, only colours straight from the tube, and sets a known rhythm in his movements beforehand. Music also plays a significant role in his process.
Koen Delaere, Galerie Gerhard Hofland. Photo: Seye Cadmus
A recent series of works by Gijs van Lith (NL, 1984) is also on display. While the artist has often engaged in dialogue with such greats as Willem De Kooning and Cy Twombly over the past 15 years, Van Lith developed a new visual language entirely his own over the past year. In this new series, Van Lith combines pictographic with abstract elements, exploring where the personal transitions into the formal and the conscious into the subconscious.
Great Primer can be seen at MOYA in Oosterhout until 1 September, featuring work by Linda Arts, Isabelle Borges, Koen Delaere, Cas van Deurssen, Frans Klerkx, Roel van der Linden, Gijs van Lith, Martijn Schuppers and Art van Triest.
Gijs van Lith, HAPPY GERMAN DANNI, 2023, MPV Gallery
