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19 december 2023, Flor Linckens
Two artists, bonded by nature: herman de vries & melanie bonajo
nature's resonance, Bradwolff & Partners
Until 17 February 2024, Bradwolff & Partners in Amsterdam is showcasing a dual exhibition, featuring two artists who, despite their divergent practices, share some striking similarities. Both artists have represented the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale, prefer to write their names in lowercase letters, and seek a personal connection with the natural world. This exhibition marks the beginning of a series of dual exhibitions in which the gallery juxtaposes two artistic perspectives: perspectives that question and reinforce each other.
herman de vries prefers to use only lowercase letters in the spelling of his name, because he resists hierarchy. It's signifies the way of thinking of this versatile artist, who won several prizes and represented the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale in 2015. Although his earlier work focused on the use of found materials and monochrome paintings in white and gray tones — he was involved with the Nul Group — he is perhaps most famous for his nature-centered works. de vries was trained as a botanist and researcher, which is reflected in his practice. Plants and earth form his materials and thematically, his work is also about our complicated and disturbed relationship with nature. Art, philosophy, science, classification and the sensory experience come together in a practice that is inspired, among other things, by the artist's many travels during his lifetime and his extensive archive of more than 7000 soil samples that de vries has been collecting since the 1970s. To this end, the artist works in a variety of media, including collage, sculpture, performance, painting and photography. His work is part of the collections of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the MoMA, the V&A Museum, the Van Abbemuseum, the Kröller-Müller Museum, Musée national d'art contemporain in Paris and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, among others.
herman de vries, Untitled (Traces), 2014, Bradwolff & Partners
The activist artist melanie bonajo explores complex human relationships in their practice: our relationship with technology, nature, our capitalist society, as well as interpersonal relationships and the accompanying feelings of alienation and lack of connection that many people experience. In seeking this connectedness, bonajo delves into topics including spirituality, gender, intimacy and sexuality, anti-capitalism, somatic therapy and embodied experiences, cultural norms, and body politics — often venturing beyond the mainstream. Their multidisciplinary practice includes video, performance, photography and installation. bonajo obtained a degree at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, followed by residencies at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam and the International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York. The artist was nominated for a Prix de Rome and a Nam June Paik Award and received an IFFR Tiger Award. In 2022, they represented the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale. Their work has also been shown at FOMU Antwerp, the Bonnefantenmuseum, FOAM Amsterdam, Museum Seoul, the Gwangju Biennale, Manifesta 12, ARKEN Museum for Modern Art, Tate Modern, Kunsthalle Basel and Les Rencontres d’Arles. The installation "When the Body Says Yes", which premiered in Venice, is currently on display at KUMU in Tallinn.
melanie bonajo, Economy of love, 2015, Bradwolff & Partners
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