This spring, Kunsthal KAdE
presents an exhibition entitled Space Drawings. Running from 19 January to 14 April, the show features 10 three-dimensional drawings created by 11 contemporary artists. The works are site-specific installations that redefine and rediscover the art of drawing. They shrug off the constraints of the flat surface to invade three-dimensional space and invite the viewer to step inside them. Traditional drawing materials like pencil and paper are supplemented or replaced by materials like rope, wood, wool and polyurethane foam.
The artists use the interplay of lines to examine the relationship of the drawing with space: not just the architectural space of the exhibition venue, but every kind of space from the mental and physical compass of the human body to the immeasurable expanses of time and the universe. The exploration of these different spaces seems to be inextricably linked to the abandonment of the two-dimensional surface and the relative safety it offers. The work of these artists is about the physical experience and functionality of the immediate environment and thereby challenges the viewers sense of safety and security. It reveals the absence of certainties in a world where even the apparently solid built environment has its own life to lead.
Participating artists: Ronald de Ceuster | Karin van Dam | Thijs Ebbe Fokkens | Katharina Galland | Chiel Kuijl | Heidi Linck | Marisa Rappard | Aam Solleveld | Marije Vermeulen | Sui Jianguo & Liang Shuo
Exploring and reconnoitring space
Space Drawings reveals the wide variety of possibilities opened up by drawing in three dimensions. The works on show range from spatial interpretations of line drawings to installations that resemble drawings more in the sketchiness of their approach. In addition, many of the installations focus on our understanding and perception of space. None of the installations is the result of detailed advance planning. In each case, the exploration and reconnoitring of the available space was a major element in the creative process: the site was the seedbed and the work grew out of it. You can almost feel the eagerness of the artists to experiment and the fun they had doing it. The resulting three-dimensional drawings engage in a visual dialogue with the architectural spaces of KAdE.
Winner of the Space Drawings competition
The tenth slot in the exhibition is filled by the winner of an exhibition launched in August 2012. Artists were invited to submit their ideas for a space drawing to feature in the exhibition. Out of the 87 entries received, the jury (artist Anne Wenzel, Stedelijk Museum director Diana Wind and guest curator Jantine Kremer) selected a proposal submitted by Marije Vermeulen (b. Delft, 1976). They were enthusiastic about the robust formal vocabulary of Vermeulens entry, a spatial arrangement of five slanting polychrome frames: The interplay of shapes employs minimal means to create new perspectives and possibilities within the limited space. Vermeulens contribution is an interesting architectural addition to other works in the Space Drawings exhibition. It is a reminder that, since Sol LeWitt, the visual idiom of the drawing can be monumental and devoid of any trace of the artists original gesture. The clear and uncluttered proposal makes us keen to see the finished work.