POW WOW ROTTERDAM 2018
The first european edition of POW! WOW! took place in my hometown Rotterdam. A group of artists including me where asked to create an exphibition in the HAKA building. The festival was surrounded by an atmospheric industrial setting and a a great international line-up.
Being confronted with the behaivior of this Throw-away society we currently live in. I am embarressed to be part of it. Hypocritical and guilty as well. It gave me the idea to look for canvases in household waste. Since I love to paint on them in the street.
Lots of IKEA is what i found. The result is 2 serie of paintings on cabinet doors. And a performance in a landscape of selected litter I was going to paint on occasionally during the opening hours of the festival.
The first part is a serie of four painting made on household waste. The subjects are occult. Coming from different cultures, religions and eras. These themes are a returning subject in my work.
The second part is a landscape of selected litter. This is not a name, its what it is. Weeks, maybe months in advance of the exhibition I was hunting the streets for usefull material. As i mentioned before, lots of IKEA. But so much more. I found a matrass, a bathtub, A couple of refrigerators, lots of cabins, chairs, lamps, mirrors and cabinet doors.
They have been stashed and stacked in our little cellor box. Our bicycles had to make room. I kept on collecting untill there was no more place for more.
Adressing the problem of throwing away things to soon. Not seeing the value of it, or not even being able to buy proper stuff because the manufacturer makes it to brake it. So we have to buy again, and again.
They have been stashed and stacked in our little cellor box. Our bicycles had to make room. I kept on collecting untill there was no more place for more.
Adressing the problem of throwing away things to soon. Not seeing the value of it, or not even being able to buy proper stuff because the manufacturer makes it to brake it. So we have to buy again, and again.
When i notice a pile of household waste I see a canvas. A second or maybe third life. I see an oppertunity. I grab my marker, paintbrush or spraycan and i take advantage of the situation. This is exactly what I did in this landscape of selected litter. Showing up from time to time. Adding something here and there. And then leave again.
Rijnmond's Jack F Kerklaan made this little interview video while he visited me during the exhibition preporations.