The Painted Bird

The Painted Bird is a joint art work by Marie Aly, Cian-Yu Bai, Bonno van Doorn, Kim David Bots, Gijs Frieling, Natasja Kensmil, Klaas Kloosterboer, Mirthe Klück, Frank Koolen, Fiona Lutjenhuis, Charlott Markus, Kalle Mattsson, Jan van de Pavert, Tanja Ritterbex, Sam Samiee, Charlotte Schleiffert, Derk Thijs, Sarah Verbeek, Helen Verhoeven, Evi Vingerling and Job Wouters.

Are we dancing on a volcano? Are renewed nationalism, xenophobia, the distrust of politics and democracy, the arrival of refugees, and economic insecurity preparing us for a terrible meltdown? It is well possible. It should give us hope for this project, since the best art is produced on the verge of despair, when civilizations crumble and we’re about to shift into a new world order.

Marres Maastricht produced a spectacular mural about Europe by 19 artists who have painted all rooms, corridors, the stairwell, floors and ceilings of the historic Marres House. Having a surface area of over 750 square meters, the painting depicts a series of beautiful and frightening environments, including a high-tech clone supermarket, the last surviving piece of primeval forest, a Berlin love and hippie fest space, a spider portrait corridor, a new life festival in the year 2050. The artists Frank Koolen and Kim David Bots developed a comprehensive soundtrack, and Charlott Markus and Kalle Mattsson make a publication. Gijs Frieling directed the modern Gesamtkunstwerk.

The exhibition is part of the series of immersive exhibits at Marres, previous installments of which included The Winter Anti Depression Show (2014) and Levi van Veluw: The Relativity of Matter (2015–16).

The Painted Bird: Dreams and Nightmares of Europe is made possible by Fonds 21, the BankGiro Lottery Fund and more than 150 private donors that contributed to a crowdfunding campaign for the exhibition.

Marres, House for Contemporary Culture, receives ongoing support from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Limburg provincial authority and the Maastricht municipal authority.

Marres
Marres is a House for Contemporary Culture located in the heart of the old town of Maastricht. Marres develops with artists, musicians, designers, chefs and perfumers, a new vocabulary for the senses. In addition to bringing a lively programme of exhibitions, presentations and performances, Marres also features a beautiful garden and a wonderful restaurant.