Saskia Noor van Imhoff: # +23.00

In 2015 the Stedelijk acquired the artwork # +14.11 by Saskia Noor van Imhoff (1982). It is a spatial installation comprising photos, various objects, and a humidifier. For the inaugural presentation of this work at the Stedelijk, the artist has made a site-specific installation. The piece references both the architecture of the museum galleries and the collection of the Stedelijk. In her work, Van Imhoff retrieves (little-known) objects from the museum’s storage depot and integrates methods of conserving, classifying, and storing art into her installations.

To construct the installation in galleries 28 and 29 (the innermost galleries of the design circuit), Van Imhoff conducted an intensive investigation of the museum’s storage depot. The artist uses original objects, such as those she discovered in the depot, in her installations, as well as replicas. This strategy reveals one of the central themes of her work: a critique of the tenuous divide between original and copy. How do we view a work displayed in constantly changing situations and presentations? How does removing a work from its original context and using it as material for a new work affect the meaning and value of the art object?

Saskia Noor van Imhoff pursues an approach comparable to that of an archaeologist—constantly peeling back layers to discover deeper meanings, unearthing unexpected objects and fragments of knowledge that can be used to create new narratives. In addition, Van Imhoff also uses documents related to scholarly museum research and everyday objects, juxtaposing them without any kind of hierarchy.

Specifically for the work at the Stedelijk, the artist has included a humidifier, a piece of equipment often used to store and help preserve objects, but which here serves to question the precarious balance of the museum climate.

According to curator Leontine Coelewij: “Van Imhoff engages with critical research into museum strategies. The way in which the meaning of artworks is affected by a museum’s guidelines and systems is inherent to her work. With this, Van Imhoff is one of the most intriguing contemporary representatives of ‘institutional critique,’ a direction in art that primarily focuses on the critical consideration of museum practices.”

The title of the presentation is # +23.00; the purchased work, which is entitled # +14.11, is part of this exhibition. By electing to give numerical titles to her artworks, Van Imhoff refrains from offering either associative or intrinsic information. The series of digits refer to the serial nature of her art production in a system devised by the artist herself, within which she frequently refers to previous objects or presentations.

In parallel with her presentation at the Stedelijk Museum, Saskia Noor van Imhoff also staged a solo exhibition at de Appel arts centre  (February 6 through April 10, 2016). A special newspaper links both presentations, each of which has a distinct character and engages with the specific context of the respective institutions.

The Stedelijk Museum in 2016
In 2016, the Stedelijk Museum presents a series of dynamic solo exhibitions by a promising generation of artists. Many of the presentations feature new productions and recent acquisitions. With this, the Stedelijk responds to current artistic developments and supports contemporary talent, in some cases, by also assuming the role of commissioner. For the Stedelijk, artists define the meaning of the times in which we live. Developing long-term relationships with the artists of today shapes the identity of our collection for the future.