Kristbergur Ó. Pétursson
H.F. van Steensel
Femke de Bakker
WASCO
De IJslandse kunstenaar Kristbergur Ó. Pétursson (1962), die in 2022 in WG Kunst exposeerde, keert weer terug naar Amsterdam, nu in een groepstentoonstelling met enkele andere (Nederlandse) kunstenaars. Twee van hen kent hij uit zijn opleiding aan de Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam eind jaren 80. De mede-exposanten zijn Femke de Bakker, H.F. van Steensel en WASCO.
Kristbergur toont nieuwe werken op papier, veelal transformaties van vroeger werk waarbij hij terug gaat naar het plezier van de kinderlijke fantasie. Ook gebruikt hij tekst en poëzie in zijn werk.
Femke de Bakker tekent en schildert een dystopische kattenwereld waarin de kat regeert en de mensen 'de tot slaaf gemaakten zijn' .
H.F. van Steensel toont een nieuwe serie abstracte schilderijen.
Wasco verlevendigt de expositie met recente tekeningen gemaakt op Alicudi (een eilandje boven Sicilië).
U bent van harte welkom deze bijzondere tentoonstelling te komen bezoeken!
OPENING vrijdag 8 november 17.00-19.00 uur
WG Kunst
Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 28
1054 SP Amsterdam (WG terrein)
Icelandic artist Kristbergur Ó. Pétursson (1962), who exhibited at WG Kunst in 2022, returns to Amsterdam, now in a group exhibition with several other (Dutch) artists. He knows two of them from his education at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunst in Amsterdam in the late 1980s. The co-exhibitors are Femke de Bakker, H.F. van Steensel and WASCO.
Kristbergur shows new works on paper, mostly transformations of earlier work in which he returns to the pleasure of childish fantasy. He also uses text and poetry in his work.
Femke de Bakker draws and paints a dystopian cat world in which the cat rules and humans are 'the enslaved ones'.
H.F. van Steensel shows a new series of abstract paintings.
Wasco enlivens the exhibition with recent drawings made on Alicudi (an island above Sicily).
Blog:
Vis a Vis van Kees Hordijk – WG Kunst
Four artists who expose themselves to each other, but also want to show us their work. It started two years ago with an exhibition on the work of Kristbergur O. Pettersson, an Icelandic artist. Now he's back with another exhibition. And three other artists have been invited to show their work alongside his. Three Dutch artists.
Four artists who are completely different in their work. Maybe that's also in that vis-à-vis
That it feels a bit awkward to show your own work so close to completely different art. As strangers in close proximity to each other.
When I enter, I don't see any explanation. I have to do it with my own eyes.
In the middle hangs Pettersson's work. Many lithographs with applied pale colors that all give a representation of a scene in Iceland. The island where Pettersson lives. Some elements recur in different drawings. The boats, for example. However, they are not modern-day ships but merchant ships from the 16e century by the looks of it. The masts with the ropes, the ascending bow of the ship. The scene conjures up an earlier world before our eyes. The houses depicted on it are also reminiscent of the past. Here and there suddenly a portrait. From the artist himself? I'll talk to him briefly. He says that it does indeed reflect his life what can be seen on this wall. The drawings are from a long time ago. It's about his life from the past, when he was still a boy. He has sought out that life of that time within himself and provided it with a contemporary addition in the form of an extra brush stroke or line. Perhaps as a commentary on that past life. Between the drawings there are small pieces of paper on which poems are written. Haikus. Short three-line poems that sing about his island and his love for art. Also his childhood and the passing of time.
The presentation of words and images offers a broader view of Pettersson's life. And on that faraway lonely island. In this way, the wall becomes a self-portrait, or autobiography. It's just a matter of which medium you give priority.
Walking to the left I pass a wall with large drawings on which some color has been added here and there with paint. The subject seems uncanny. A society in which the cats are in charge of the people. At least that's how I experience it. The drawings are by Femke de Bakker and are remarkably well made. So very penetrating in their presentation. You have to stand still and look. The children depicted in a group remind me of photos from a long time ago. Is that in the clothing? Looking at the drawings, I wonder what they express. What their message is. Here and there, a color suddenly appears that works surprisingly well in all those charcoal drawings.
Although the message is unclear, these drawings stay with you the longest after you leave the gallery. What we don't recognize or what seems strange to us keeps us busy the longest.
The art that I encounter in the room afterwards is dear and familiar. The colourful paintings of H.F. van Steensel. And they're all new to me. The yield of the past year, I suspect. Immediately I see the changes she has made in her latest works. Just as she always applies small style changes over time.
Now they have become coarsely painted surfaces of paint that vary greatly in layering. On the square or rectangular surfaces, you will see two main colors. But it gets exciting because you see other shades shining through the thick layer here and there. A layering that is actually visible everywhere in this series of paintings. In a few places you can still see the canvas uncovered by paint. As if the painting has yet to be completed or has already half decayed. It is reminiscent of archaeology. Layers of paint that tell of a bygone era. Excavations that give history to the applied paint. A large square stands out. It hangs between the windows. The yellow dominates the green and white. The result is a beautiful ensemble. Warm and heart-pounding.
On the wall on the right, we see Wasco's work. Also a well-known artist who previously exhibited at WG Kunst. He is mainly involved in making comics.
This time, he doesn't communicate directly with the viewer. As if the artist has remained in a world of his own... You see small drawings, the size of a banknote. They are grouped into foursomes. The drawings themselves also depict four of the same subjects or objects. The natural landscapes that show a distant view are striking. Surprising that you can conjure up such a distant view on such a small drawing.
It is also striking that the drawings are all black and white. The drawings are slightly stylized. This means that the representations are designed in slight curves.
All in all, this exhibition is so surprising because of the variation in techniques and means. What different worlds are exhibited here. And what a celebration and pleasure that provides for us viewers.
Kees Hordijk
November 8, 2024