very autumn BIG ART occupies an iconic building in or around Amsterdam where dozens of artists and designers fill the place with a unique mix of monumental paintings, oversized drawings, large sculptures, big photos and installations.
We will participate with artworks by Maayke Schuitema, Natasja Alers and Bregje Sliepenbeek.
C20 Maayke Schuitema with THE TENTH MUSE
‘The greatest dancers united, on the largest linoleum print in the world’
The work, entitled "The Tenth Muse" is inspired by Greek mythology. On the canvas you can see a snapshot of the celebration of the arrival of the tenth Muse of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Each dancer is linked to a mythological figure. The characteristics and attitudes of the famous dancers are linked to the classical figures from Greek traditions. Zeus and Mnemosyne processed the nine muses in 9 nights. They are the goddesses of song, dance and poetry and they live on the Olympus. They have been a source of inspiration for artists, choreographers, writers and poets for centuries.
Maayke Schuitema (The Hague, 1974) is a well-known painter and graphic artist from the Netherlands. She studied ballet at The Royal Conservatory and Fine Arts at the Royal Academy in The Hague. She works with large-scale linocuts, which are printed, by hand, on Kozo Paper especially made for her in the Prefecture of Kochi in Japan. This painting is an ode to dance. An artwork in which she merges the two art forms that have shaped
her life; art and dance. In this choreography eleven of the most famous dancers from the last century dance together once more...
C18 Natasja Alers with Rise
Natasja Alers (1987) is a visual artist based in The Netherlands. She studied ceramics at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam and fine arts at the Weissensee KunstHochschule in Berlin, Germany. In her artistic research Alers focuses on the human body and inner world of the human mind, but also how the body can relate to a sculpture. Raw emotion but also sensuality are part of her visual language. Alers search for the authentic desire for connection and meaning by inviting the viewer to experience the works to feel and touch them, to create an intimate situation between the artwork and the viewer which eventually will get them closer to the inner world of the artist.
Shiny, juicy and plump, the ‘Rise’ is a ceramic work which resembles a string of intestines or dripping sausages draped into a tower. This unique ceramic object is attractive and repulsive at the same time, sensual and raw. It consists of collages of human body parts and the exuberant colorful and shiny glazes ask to be touched and at the same time the maker offers a glimpse into her inner emotional life. The specific color combinations of the "visceral" glazes refer to internal organs and define how the human body can relate to a sculpture. Natasja Alers plays with that tension, those paradoxical feelings.
C19 Bregje Sliepenbeek with Three totems
Bregje Sliepenbeek (1986) studied jewellery design at the Rietveld Academy but instead of making body related pieces her metal creations consist of large but lightweight wall hangings. The process of making and a high appreciation of the crafts is significant in Bregje her work. A trance-like state of mind, a sensitive discourse with material, endless repetition. She is interested in shifting the characteristics of a material, treating her material of choice with a tactile approach, transforming firm metal into fluid and moving objects. The objects are never fixed but in transition, they respond to light and movement by air currents.
This work consists of three large totems that are allegedly standing tall but actually floating above the ground. They move in the slight breeze and make a serene impression.