Following on from the Female Contrapositions exhibition, we are showing the work of male artists in the upcoming exhibition: Male Contrapositions (Houston, We Have a Man!). Below, you can read our account of the male narrative. We would like to invite you to come and have a look and share your curiosity with us.
In 1908, the Swiss politician and essayist William Vogt wrote the book 'Sexe faible' ('The weak sex'), in which he examines the 'natural weaknesses and shortcomings of the female sex'. Intended as a counter-reaction to feminist utopian ideas of the time, the book gave words to the dominant visions of what it meant to be female and male. On the gender variation m/f, we have organised western modern society. Man represents breadwinner, tough and rational, and woman represents giving birth, caring and emotional.
For decades, woman was positioned as subordinate to man because of her perceived anatomical inferiority. Only recently has this image been slowly changing; men are not found to be the strong sex but rather statistically much more prone to serious diseases, much more likely to struggle to keep up in society, and men have a higher proportion of crime and suicides than women. In addition, the position of men is actively questioned, they should take up less space, make room for the other.
There is talk of the 'crisis of masculinity' in which men no longer know their place in society. Men also suffer from stereotypical expectations that have still not been dismantled. Indeed, internalised ideas of how you should be a man can also cut you off from actual needs such as self-expression and experiencing connection, for instance, there is still the stereotypical image that men are not allowed or cannot express their feelings. Maintaining this structure encourages toxic masculinity, creates discontent and insecurity for everyone. There is a tremendous opportunity to redefine the complexities of masculinity. Men, like women, are contradictory, complex and multi-layered.
Where society lags somewhat behind, art has long been exploring and complicating the image of the man and masculinity. A good example is Bas Jan Ader's 1971 work where a photo of the crying artist, among others, became a postcard and sent to friends with the text, 'I'm too Sad to tell you'.
This exhibition, Male Contrapositions (Houston, We Have a Man!) attempts to help shape the male narrative within the human scale. Each artist has a different mood and starts from a different perspective to position their work within the realm of visual art.
Franciscus&Franciscus, Peter Hoijmakers, Hans Hovy, Tom Putman and Koes Staassen thank you for contributing your beautiful work.
The photographs by artist duo Franciscus&Franciscus have a surreal atmosphere in them that refers to both 15th-century portrait painting and the latest AI generated images.
Peter Hoijmakers tries to combine physical, painterly and psychological realities, hoping to achieve transformations in the viewer's mind.
Tom Putman sculptures look like products coming out of the automation of industrialisation processes, but nothing could be further from the truth. Sculptures with enigmatic combinations of symbols that evoke a 'new' nostalgia.
Koes Staassen is a highly refined draughtsman. His gentle approach to a highly personal relationship to desire creates dreamy drawings in which bodies are fixed in a loving bondage. The drawings show an eye-opening sensual play in which it is never quite clear what the ribbons, pearls and other objects are to be used for.
Hans Hovy creates sculptures where the shapes, like a scene on a platform, engage the viewer in a playful, light-hearted sensual game. Again and again, the sculptures take you into voyeuristic situations.