Saskia Noor van Imhoff: #+21.00 / Alicja Kwade

On Friday, February 5, de Appel arts centre opened two exhibitions by Alicja Kwade and Saskia Noor van Imhoff.

Alicja Kwade
Bend. Break. Stack. Mirror. Visual artist Alicja Kwade (Germany) uses different strategies in her work, based on thorough scientific-artistic research. She manipulates everyday objects and materials—a pallet, a bicycle, a door, a nightlight, a mirror—and turns them into new shapes which she presents as separate sculptures or installations. The result often feels introverted and formal, but also frequently has a humoristic undertone. Kwade creates sensory illusions that test our thought and perception. She pushes the viewer to contemplate the nature of objects and to question what is actually really “true” in the reality that surrounds us.

Curator: Marc-Olivier Wahler
The exhibition is made possible with the support of the König Galerie, Berlin

Saskia Noor van Imhoff
In her work # +21.00, Saskia Noor van Imhoff (Netherlands) examins the architectonic aspects of the building of de Appel arts centre. As though performing a metaphorical archaeological dig, she uncovers visual and conceptual connections in an associative manner, subtly exposing underlying structures of collecting, exhibiting and conservation.

The site-specific installations by Saskia Noor van Imhoff depart from elements that usually belong to the backside of art institutions, such as the depot, the spatial mapping, and the conservation and climate regulations. In a utilitarian infrastructure, both existing and newly made objects, artworks by other artists, but also everyday objects such as clothing, come together in an associative manner. With this installation Van Imhoff investigates how artworks and artifacts act in different stages within an exhibition and how they are treated. She poses the question of how we classify and interpret the world around us. Which status and value do we attach to the objects and systems with which we surround ourselves?

Coinciding with the exhibition in de Appel arts centre, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam shows from February 13 until May 8, 2016 a new installation based on works by van Imhoff that have recently been included in the collection. The two exhibitions are connected through a publication that is available in both institutions. The publication #+ 22.00, in the form of posters, is made by Jasper Coppes, Phil Baber and Saskia Noor van Imhoff.

Curators: Ann Demeester, Lorenzo Benedetti, Marc-Olivier Wahler and Laurie Cluitmans
The exhibition is made possible with the support of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK), Contronics Engineering B.V., Gallery Fons Welters and the Mondriaan Fund.