Beyond DaDa: The urgency of making stuff in Museum Drachten
Willem de Kooning Academy
DISCIPLINES
Art direction, Exhibition, Workshop
DISCIPLINES
Art direction, Exhibition, Workshop
About the exhibition
July 22 – September 30, 2018
In the 1920s, Dadaism came to Drachten via Theo van Doesburg and Kurt Schwitters. A Dada crusade was held, which ended in 1923 in Hotel De Phoenix, where Schwitters recited his poem ‘Wij W8888888’ for a small audience.
It is generally accepted that the Dada movement ended in 1923 with the start of surrealism. It was Marcel Duchamp who made Dadaism visible again in the 1950s by organizing a large DADA exhibition in New York. This led to a revival of its ideas. Dadaism was no longer a movement, it was a way of life, a creative mentality that was not bound by time or place. Beyond Dada and De Stijl Part II is an exhibition about the legacy of Dadaism and the cultivation of the Dada mentality.
‘Beyond DADA – The urgency of making stuff’ is an exhibition within an exhibition curated by guest curator Renate Boere. This exhibition shows the work of 24 students of the Willem De Kooning Academy.
About the Design
Irrational and free associative work is, more than ever, an important part of the creative process. We are quickly inclined to reach for the computer when we start creating an idea and a design or to gain inspiration for a new work. This means that we start with language; typing a word into Google. This results in a selection of possibilities that Google proposes to us.
For three days they created works with found images as a starting point, just like the Dadaists. In addition to the great results, you also see a clear difference in image and subject choice with the earlier Dadaists. The result is a visual report of current social issues that fit the current generation of artists.
The works are not only to be admired on the walls, guest curator Renate Boere made a very special book with these works, which was uniquely edited and modified by the artists themselves during a performance. The works were previously on display at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam during the project week of the same name that Renate Boere organized from June 11 to 15, 2018.
“Irrational and free associative work is, more than ever, an important part of the creative process.”
“The result is a visual report of current social issues that fit the current generation of artists.”
Colophon
Concept and design of the exhibition: Studio Renate Boere: Renate Boere, Quirine Dob
Coordination from Museum Drachten: Hester Jenkins, Thamar Beckx
Participants: Cee Treffers, Amy-Jane Afrane, Alice Colvin Cousley, Steph Bayes, Linda Stretton, Fela Walvisch, Julia Nap, Lysanne Safi, Liselot Cobelens, Kahraman Cinar, Max Morel, Emily Roberts-Allen, Sander Coers, Salvatore Akrum, Sacha Rupert, Lucas Theunisse, Hannah van den Elzen, Katta Rascha, Joke van Driel, Kee van der Meer, Lotte Rijndorp, Juliëtte Klootwijk, Romi Terlouw, Zoë Kiani.
Photos: Maurice Hamming & Studio Renate Boere