Gallery Bart is proud to open its second garden exhibition Sentient Shapes with the sculptures of Britte Koolen (1994, NL).
When creating her sculptures, Britte limits herself to basic shapes in geometry: the circle, the rectangle and the square. In addition, she is driven by minimalist principles such as reuse, organization and reduction. She is also determined in her use of color: she sticks to the same shades of red, yellow, purple and black and these are repeated time and again in her installations and wall sculptures.
When Britte starts working on a new sculpture, the place where it is ultimately shown is leading. The space around the work is just as important as the space it occupies. Prior to the making process, she therefore visits the location and investigates how a sculpture, but also herself, can relate to the space.
The sculptures in the garden that together form an installation have been deliberately chosen. The bright red and purple contrast sharply against the light green grass and dark green of the hedera. The position of the sculptures is also well thought out, and keeps the viewer captive in the moment of decision or indecision. Even if the work were to be moved only a fraction, this changes the viewer’s experience. That is why visitors are invited to enter the grass and walk around the work, in order to consciously experience the position of the work, but also their position in the space.