Sheela Gowda and Jewyo Rhii
Sheela Gowda
Open Eye Policy
23 February–26 May 2013
Jewyo Rhii
Walls to Talk to
26 January–12 May 2013
Opening: Saturday 23 February, 3pm
Van Abbemuseum
Bilderdijklaan 10
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
T +31 (0)40 238 1000
info [at] vanabbemuseum.nl
In the first half of 2013, the Van Abbemuseum presents exhibitions by Sheela Gowda (Bhadravati, India) and Jewyo Rhii (Seoul, Korea). Occupying the whole of the Old Building and the ground floor of the New Building, the exhibitions continue the Van Abbemuseum’s recent series dedicated to the artist’s voice.
Sheela Gowda – Open Eye Policy
The solo exhibition Open Eye Policy by Sheela Gowda presents the most comprehensive overview to date of the work of this acclaimed Indian artist. It brings together sculpture, large installations, painting and photography from the past twenty years. A first impression of these works suggests a preoccupation with abstraction, form and material, but on closer inspection they reveal a constant engagement with politics, environment and society.
Gowda’s use of unconventional materials is a highly evocative element of her practice. It sets out the artist’s concerns and methods, her relationship to materials and the image, her invocation of the social context of the Indian subcontinent and beyond, and how these are combined in artworks that are both elegant and thought provoking.
Following its presentation at the Van Abbemuseum, the exhibition will travel to Lunds konsthall, Lund, Sweden.
Jewyo Rhii – Walls to Talk to
The solo exhibition Walls to Talk to is the first time a European audience will have an extensive introduction to the practice of Jewyo Rhii. It presents a selection of recent work, alongside a series of site-specific pieces produced during a four-month stay in Eindhoven. Rhii is an artist who has developed a body of work that stems from her sensitive, personal and almost subliminal responses to her immediate environments. Born in Korea, she has displaced herself many times in the last ten years, including periods in Western Europe and the USA. These conditions of constant movement form one of the bases of her work.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue published by Koenig Books, London. Following its presentation at the Van Abbemuseum, the exhibition will travel to MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, and Artsonje Center, Seoul.
The exhibition started on 26 January 2013 and builds up to the official opening on 23 February.
Curators of Sheela Gowda – Open Eye Policy
Annie Fletcher in collaboration with Grant Watson
Curators of Jewyo Rhii – Walls to Talk to
Nick Aikens and Charles Esche
For more information on the exhibitions, you can visit www.vanabbemuseum.nl.
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The exhibition Walls to Talk to is made possible with the support of the Yanghyun Foundation.
