In 1994 French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2014) defined an archive as “a place which assures the possibility of memorisation, of repetition, of reproduction, or of reimpression”. The archive of the Rijksakademie voor de Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, which houses an historical and contemporary collection, is a striking example of Derrida's definition. This collection of books, prints, drawings, paintings, plaster, photos and digital visual material is carefully curated in a special place, and provides a comprehensive and varied overview of developments in visual arts over the past three centuries, which since its creation has served as a source of inspiration for residents.
The exhibition ARCHIVE FEVER presents work by various academy alumni which has a direct or indirect link to this collection. The different ways in which the artists have approached, used and experienced the collection is evident from this latest exhibition. Antique sculptures are felt, iconic images surpassed, classical images recast in contemporary materials and the life cycle of objects is analysed layer by layer. The reasons for reaching back into the history of art to create new works are equally varied, ranging from the need for artists to relate to a place to the urge to improve on existing work and to also ask questions about their own work.
Artworks from Juliaan Andeweg, Sema Bekirovic, Tim Breukers, Marije Gertenbach, Folkert de Jong and Aimee Zito Lema expose the tensions between established images and the changing world around them.
Westeinde 1 1000 AB Amsterdam The Netherlands DD/MM/YYYY true
In 1994 French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2014) defined an archive as “a place which assures the possibility of memorisation, of repetition, of reproduction, or of reimpression”. The archive of the Rijksakademie voor de Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, which houses an historical and contemporary collection, is a striking example of Derrida's definition. This collection of books, prints, drawings, paintings, plaster, photos and digital visual material is carefully curated in a special place, and provides a comprehensive and varied overview of developments in visual arts over the past three centuries, which since its creation has served as a source of inspiration for residents.
The exhibition ARCHIVE FEVER presents work by various academy alumni which has a direct or indirect link to this collection. The different ways in which the artists have approached, used and experienced the collection is evident from this latest exhibition. Antique sculptures are felt, iconic images surpassed, classical images recast in contemporary materials and the life cycle of objects is analysed layer by layer. The reasons for reaching back into the history of art to create new works are equally varied, ranging from the need for artists to relate to a place to the urge to improve on existing work and to also ask questions about their own work.
Artworks from Juliaan Andeweg, Sema Bekirovic, Tim Breukers, Marije Gertenbach, Folkert de Jong and Aimee Zito Lema expose the tensions between established images and the changing world around them.
1000 AB Amsterdam, The Netherlands