14 march 2023, Flor Linckens
6 tips for Art Central Rotterdam XL 2023
From 17 to 19 March 2023, the second edition of Art Central Rotterdam XL will take place. More than 30 Rotterdam art spaces and institutions throughout Rotterdam will open their doors for the occasion — with extended opening hours — and present a program that is freely accessible to the public, such as performances, reading sessions and guided tours. During this weekend you will discover art in all its breadth: from emerging to established talent, from avant-garde to contemporary and from installation and painting to photography and sculpture.
During Art Central Rotterdam XL, you can view an exhibition in Christian Ouwens Gallery with work by the famous Belgian cartoonist Kamagurka, who, in addition to being a cartoonist, also works as a painter, playwright and television producer. Luc Zeebroek, the name on his passport, knows how to interpret the world around us with a sharp sense of humour, as witnessed by the name of the exhibition: 'O! I can do that too." ("O! Maar dat kan ik ook"). In the exhibition you can see drawings by his hand, as well as a tapestry and a mirror that represents the sea level (a play on words in Dutch and Flemish).
Contour Gallery shows a solo presentation with work by Saïdou Dicko, a self-taught multimedia artist from Burkina Faso. His practice encompasses a multitude of disciplines: from photography and videography to installation and painting. As a five-year-old Fulani shepherd, he started drawing shadows of his sheep and the landscape, and these shadows still form the basis of his work. With these shadows, Dicko implicitly represents Western stereotypes about people in Africa, but at the same time he also tries to show the universality of their experiences. Muriel Mager of Contour Gallery is the initiator of Art Central Rotterdam XL, together with Kiki Petratou (JOEY RAMONE).
Root Gallery shares the latest developments in the work of the artists they represent. For example, you can see a new mobile by Freerk Wilbers, who is known for his kinetic and light artworks. You can also see how Lisette Schumacher's work was influenced by a residency programma that she completed in Los Angeles in 2022. The gallery also shows new sculptural work by Donald Schenkel, Quinda Verheul and Jochem Esser, a new series of photos by Sophie de Vos and the results of in-depth research into materials, pigments and visual language that lead to beautiful translations of previously developed work by Jan Kuhlemeier, Saïd Kinos and Karen van de Vliet.
Frank Taal Galerie presents three solo exhibitions: by Saminte Ekeland, Jan ten Have and Daan den Houter. Saminte Ekelan draws with thread and in this exhibition, she shows a series of layered embroidery drawings of transparent synthetic fibre, enamel paint and linen thread. Jan ten Have's practice is dominated by painting, but at the same time it is characterised by regular excursions to other disciplines. For his latest works, he experimented with pulverized glass, lead and oil paint, processed in a number of exciting paintings. Daan den Houter uses humour, cynicism and contradiction to unbalance the viewer while simultaneously asking questions about topics such as money, value, art and identity. In this exhibition, he shows a documentary and a series of wigs made from his own hair, that he uses to explore his identity as an artist.
In ROOF-A you can view the work of two female artists: Hester Oerlemans and Vera Gulikers. The work of Hester Oerlemans is marked by the convergence of contrasts: the familiar and the strange, the domestic and the nomadic, but also the Western and the Eastern. In her work, Vera Gulikers invites us into her personal world view. In her practice, she pays attention to forgotten female artists, but first impressions also play an significant role in her work.
During Art Central Rotterdam XL, a central exhibition will be presented in the new art space Baanhof, in which work by all participants will be on display. This exhibition is curated by curator Anna Buyvid. Studio Seine shows work there by Lise Sore, which is marked by a deep vulnerability. Her self-portraits are often executed on a monumental scale and because of the chosen material they often float a bit in the space in which they are presented. Sore usually uses thin, translucent cotton, MDF and graphite. In Baanhof, Studio Seine presents a number of smaller, more intimate works by her hand. In the Studio Seine gallery space, you can view work by Hanna de Haan and Rik Buter.
