The questions of cultural identity and national values are becoming an issue in the political and cultural debate in the Netherlands today. More artists are looking at art as at a means to provide alternative ways of contemplating contemporary society.
What does it mean to be a Dutch artist today? What does national identity mean in a time of global migration? What are the narratives which help an artist to find the activation phenomena and reframing of iconic images of the history of art and the research of such categories as, for example, silence?
Gijs Stork, a curator and an art manager, will shed some light on the art institutions whose activity aims to support and popularize Dutch contemporary art: The Stedelijk Museum, one of the world’s most important museums, recently renovated in 2012 and representing the art of the twentieth century; Oude Kerk—the youngest contemporary art institution located in Amsterdam’s oldest building, where experimental art projects coexist with Sunday services; Eindhoven’s Van Abbe Museum, led for many years by Charles Esche, known for his sociological approach towards creating new art projects; FOAM Museum of Photography, which is primarily acting towards a younger public and engagement of newer visitors with contemporary art and out-of-the-box thinking; Rotterdam’s Witte De Wit—a non-profit organization that is steadily supporting multi-layered art practices that reflect our present. Stork will also discuss the art foundations that are supporting Dutch artists and designers living both in the Netherlands and abroad—Mondriaan Foundation, AFK Foundation, Stimulierungs Foundation.
Following the lecture, Maaike Schoorel, Wouter Pajimans, Niek Hendrix and Saskia van Imhoff will describe their own artistic practices, specifically in relation to the topics outlined.
