11/2/2016 0 Comments Art Rotterdam
However, I wasn't here as a tourist. I had one thing in mind: Art Rotterdam. The sixteenth edition of one of the most famous art fairs in Europe and stated to be "the most important place to discover young art" by director of the show, Fons Hof. Not only does the fair hold a refreshing interest in up-coming artists with a section dedicated to 'New Art', it also houses a huge range of works from painting to photography to sculpture to projection. Supported by oversized sandwiches, wine and tasty muffins it was an entire days adventure with more left over to see. The art begins before you even enter the building with installations by Leonard van Munster (a golden hill rising from the waters of the lake) and Ryan Mendoza (an entire house uprooted and reassigned to guard the entrance of the event with eerie tones emerging from the video hidden inside). Not to mention the building itself: a surreal white factory that appears to be all windows with Dali-esque legs reaching across to join the neighbouring building. Couple that with a line of vintage buses hopping back and forth to other Art Week events and you have an anxious buzz of creativity hit you before you even set foot in the door. As for the Fair itself a day simply wasn't enough to see everything for a careful thinker like me. But I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of talents, colour, ideas, arguments and humour all thrown about in one place. If you are looking for traditional aesthetics you're in the wrong place but if you want a vibrant clash of skill and modern concept you'll feel at home. Despite the term 'Fair', Art Rotterdam did well to seem without bias despite the split between young artist and students (aka. The poor) and elderly enthusiasts (aka. The Rich). The clear line between ages and intentions were laughably blatant but all were welcomed equally by the fair, galleries and artists. The collection followed no single theme unlike the Venice Biennale of 2015 which received so much grief for its direct social and political content, but served something for everyone from traditional Japanese puppeteer work to a ball wrapped in a hose pipe, from skilful photography to a smashed mirror with a legal document to void the buyer of any bad luck.
The playful collection was segregated into gallery spaces which provided the visiting artist not only a factory of inspiration but an overview of a huge selection of both Dutch and International galleries - leaving me with a list of artists to research but also of galleries which could one day support my work - one can always hope.
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