27 december 2024, Flor Linckens
But the energy continues: Jan van Munster in Slewe Gallery
Until 1 February, the solo exhibition 'But the Energy Continues' will be on view at Slewe Gallery in Amsterdam. The exhibit showcases works by Jan van Munster, who passed away earlier this year. The title of the exhibition is not only profoundly poetic but also a fitting tribute to an artist whose work revolved around the elusive concept of energy. The presentation places his most recent light sculptures from 2024 in dialogue with early works from the 1970s.
Jan van Munster’s body of work is characterised by a lifelong fascination with energy and a quest for balance between opposing and often invisible forces — such as positive and negative poles, light and darkness, heat and cold, silence and noise. His creations are not only visually compelling but also serve as metaphors for the fundamental forces shaping our existence.
Van Munster began his career experimenting with materials like wood and bronze but soon gravitated towards a minimalist practice centred on light and energy. He explored themes such as magnetic fields, short circuits, radioactivity, and the energy of cold and sound. His works would include frozen tubes and materials such as batteries and magnets, rendering the tension between different energies palpable. His so-called "IK" ("ME") works hold a prominent place in public spaces across the Netherlands and Germany.
In his extensive "Brain Waves" series, he visualised the abstract lines of his EEG scans in neon. These scans, which record the brain's electrical activity, were not conducted out of medical necessity but rather out of pure curiosity. His brain activity was measured under various physical conditions, including hyperventilation, and the pages filled with results from these experiments remained a lasting source of inspiration for his art.
Van Munster was not only a pioneer but also a kind and dedicated mentor and inspirer, generously sharing his knowledge and resources with new generations of artists. From 1968 to 1970, he guided artists at Ateliers ’63 in Haarlem, a period the institute describes as "the turbulent early years of De Ateliers". From 1974 to 1977, he taught at the art academy in Rotterdam, and from 1978 to 1990, he was affiliated with the Royal Academy of Art and Design in Den Bosch. On the IK Island he created with his wife in Oost-Souburg, he provided young artists with a platform to experiment and find their voice.
Jan van Munster was born on 3 July 1939 in Gorinchem in the Netherlands. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam and later at the Institute of Applied Arts in Amsterdam, which would become the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. He passed away on 28 May 2024 at the age of 84. He will be remembered as an artist who, through his unique vision and talent, captured the mysteries of energy and balance. His work has been included in the collections of Museum Voorlinden, the Kröller-Müller Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Van Abbemuseum, M HKA Antwerp and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Throughout his career, he received numerous accolades, including the Charlotte Köhler Prize (1971), the Wilhelminaring (2002), and the German Light Art Award (2020).
