First glimpse of new series: 'Crawl On The Catwalk (Bigger Steps)'

As I started posting pictures of another new series called 'Crawl On The Catwalk' both on my Facebook page and my Instagram and Pinterest accounts, positive reactions were flooding in. So I decided to post some more snap shots of the nearly-finished drawings of this particular series, which features a hyperactive, if not slightly hysterical, fashion designer and his entourage rapidly spiralling out of control. From Haute Coutûre to Haute Bizarre, or more like Panic on the Runway or something like it. 

 

With this series, I actually had no idea what I would end up with, except I had this firm idea of the main character and his mantra ''Take Bigger Steps, You Must Take Bígger Steps!''. How the other characters evolve, the models, the seamstresses, the whole entourage of a well-established ''House of Fashion'', I had no idea. I've got to say, the result swings right between the surrealistic, dystopian world of the Singles and the more upbeat irony of my more cartoonesque art.

And yes, I like it that way, to be honest. But let's see what the final result will look like, as I hope to post the first five finished works online this week!

Geslaagde opening van Desk & Dish inclusief Witty Art Expo!

foto: Jorde Steenbeek

Wat je noemt een ''Double Whammy'': een opening-in-een-opening, dat was het, vrijdag 10 oktober jl. Toen opende Rotterdams nieuwste multifunctionele werkruimte Desk & Dish de deuren, inclusief een expositie van Witty Art! 

Desk & Dish is een flexwerkplek, vergader- en coachingruimte, meeting point inéén, inclusief mogelijkheid voor een heerlijk vegetarische, biologische lunch uit eigen keuken. Daarnaast is er de mogelijkheid om de ruimte te reserveren voor kleinschalige netwerklunches, -borrels en ook -diners. Kijk op de website van Desk & Dish voor meer informatie en de mogelijkheden! (foto's hieronder: Olga Beumer)

Wie vormen Desk & Dish?
Drijvende krachten achter Desk & Dish zijn Brigitte van Loon en Michèle van de Craats. Brigitte is met haar bedrijf Anima Mia een bijzonder getalenteerde en ervaren vormgever en is een tijd terug onder de noemer Anima Mia Cucina gestart met haar eigen cateringbedrijf. Michèle kent onder de naam Aagje in C. en Event Collective alle ins en outs van evenementenorganisatie en is een kei als het op hospitality aankomt. Tijd om de krachten te bundelen, en zo gezegd, zo gedaan: Desk & Dish was geboren!

Zowel Brigitte als Michèle hebben eerder met mij samengewerkt binnen het netwerk VICEVENUS en sinds die tijd zijn ze ook fans van Witty Art. Toch kwam het als een eervolle verrassing om te worden uitgenodigd om de allereerste exposant te zijn in Desk & Dish. Een uitnodiging die ik natuurlijk graag heb aanvaard. (foto's hieronder: Olga Beumer)

En zo was het dat we daar gezamenlijk stonden, op een gecombineerde opening of een opening-in-een-opening, enfin, hoe je het ook noemen wil, het was een succes! De opkomst was groot, er was veel enthousiasme voor de ruimte en voor de kunst; en er werd uitgebreid en vooral smakelijk voorgeproefd van de door Brigitte klaargemaakte en geserveerde hapjes, terwijl Michèle de perfect hostess was voor de gasten. Gedurende de avond vonden ook weer mooie gesprekken over Witty Art plaats, en vooral de motivatie er achter.

De drukte bleef de hele avond onverminderd aanhouden, en zo werd het een lange, late, maar prachtige avond, mede dankzij de aanwezigheid van de Meisjes van het Compliment (foto's hieronder: Christie Haalboom links; Esther Popelier, rechts: Ms Deena Ray als Meisje van het Compliment).

Op de Desk & Dish Facebook pagina vind je nog veel meer foto's! 
 
En voor diegenen die willen weten of de expositie te bezoeken is en tot en met wanneer.. jazeker, op die tijdstippen dat Desk & Dish niet geboekt is, is de ruimte en dus ook de expositie in principe vrij toegankelijk. Maar check dit even op de Desk & Dish website (tip: ga rond lunchtijd en pak die overheerlijke weeklunch meteen even mee!). 

Wil je een persoonlijke toelichting van mij? Dat kan, de komende tijd zal ik zeker op nog nader te bepalen tijdstippen aanwezig zijn bij Desk & Dish, e.e.a. in onderling overleg. Interesse? Mail me dan gerust voor een afspraak.

Witty Art Expositie @ Desk & Dish 
Molenwaterweg 24, Rotterdam 
Vlak achter Rotterdam CS 
Expositie in ieder geval te bezoeken tot en met eind december 2014 (exacte details volgen)! 

Preview van komende solo showcase van Witty Art!

De mooie expositie van Bij Gelegenheid tijdens de afgelopen Route du Nord is nog maar net voorbij of de volgende dient zich al weer aan. Een kleine solo expositie ditmaal, op een nieuwe en heel toffe plek in Rotterdam. Een combinatie van flexwerkplek, vergaderruimte, netwerkborrel (of lunch/diner) plek en kookstudio inéén is - en expositieruimte! Op een kleine, maar o zo sfeervolle locatie in hartje Rotterdam. Morgen, vrijdag 10 oktober om 17.00 uur is de (besloten, want alleen op uitnodiging, sorry folks!) opening en wordt ook de website van deze locatie officieel gepresenteerd - en dan komen alle details online over waar en wanneer deze ruimte geopend is en wanneer dus de expositie te zien zal zijn. 

Wat ik je wel kan onthullen .. is dat ik voor de expositie wederom een selectie van The Singles presenteer en voor diegenen die denken: ''Ha, maar die heb ik al tijdens Route du Nord gezien!'', nee, het zijn acht andere Witty Art Works, en ook deze zijn nog niet eerder te zien geweest voor het publiek. Welke het zijn? Hierbij alvast een paar foto's bij wijze van preview.
 

Kortom, na morgen op dit blog een leuk verslagje van de opening met alle details. Eén ding kan ik je vast vertellen, deze showcase van Witty Art is te zien tot en met in ieder geval het einde van dit jaar! Dus je hebt nog alle tijd en gelegenheid om deze selectie van The Singles in eigen persoon te komen bekijken! 

Final selection of Witty Art for this year's Route du Nord!

Yes! Nu dan de definitieve selectie gemaakt voor Route du Nord! Van 26 tm 28 september a.s. zijn deze werken te zien tijdens deze jaarlijkse kunstmanifestatie in Rotterdam. Dan exposeer ik, net als vorig jaar, weer samen met de vier overige leden van collectief Bij Gelegenheid: beeldend kunstenaar/dichter Astrid van Rijn, upcycle kunstenaar Heleen van Zantvoort, beeldend kunstenaar Margot Annuschek en fotograaf Laura Zwaneveld.

Het is, na enig gepuzzel en geploeter, een selectie van 9 ''Singles'' geworden. Geen series dus, maar werken die allemaal op zichzelf staan. Allemaal tekeningen op A4 formaat en vervaardigd met pen, inkt en minimaal gebruik van waterverf. Met dank aan collega-kunstenaar en 'mede-Bij Gelegenheder' Astrid van Rijn die mij kwam assisteren bij het maken van de moeilijke keuzes. Uit ruim bijna 70 werken een selectie van 'maar' 9 maken, bleek, eens te meer, echt een kwestie van ''kill your darlings''. Uiteindelijk bleek het natuurlijk vooral een kwestie van intuitie en ''gut feeling''.

Op de foto boven de uiteindelijke selectie van negen, hieronder even twee ''er uit gelicht'': ''A World To Be Blamed'' (links) en ''So Tell Me'' (rechts), beiden vervaardigd in 2013. De uiteindelijke selectie bevat werken uit zowel 2013 als 2014.

Nadere details, zoals exacte locatie en openingstijden worden z.s.m. bekend gemaakt! 

For my international followers: so, I did it! Here's the final selection of Witty Art that will be shown during this year's Rotterdam art manifestation Route du Nord, September 26-28.This year too, I will present my work as part of a group exhibition together with the other four members of artists' collective Bij Gelegenheid, which loosely translates into 'The Occasion', or to be more precise: 'when the occasion occurs'. They are: visual artist/poet Astrid van Rijn, upcycle artist Heleen van Zantvoort, visual artist Margot Annuschek and photographer Laura Zwaneveld.

As it turns out, this year's showcase will be a selection of the so-called Singles, works that are no part of a specific series and all have their own story to share, and their own title to bear. Getting to this final selection was a severe case of ''kill your darlings'', as I had to bring back over 70 Singles to a final selection of 9 max. Well, I succeeded, with great thanks to Astrid van Rijn for lending me her support and her critical eye. 

The picture on the top of this blogpost shows the final selection of nine, the other two images on this page are two ''Singles in the spotlights: "A World To Be Blamed'' (left) en ''So Tell Me'' (right), both created in 2013.

Once I know more details, such as the exact location and opening times, I will let you all know. Perhaps a few of you might even be around .. well, if you are, you are more than welcome to drop by!

 

Motherly, Smotherly Love but love none the less: ''Mummies' Dearest''

Another recent series that saw the light is ''Mummies' Dearest''. I have not yet dedicated an individual blogpost to this series, but as it's turned out to be one of my own personal favourites, I feel it's now time to write one. 

 
''Mummies' Dearest'' is all about a Mummy's enduring, all-consuming love for ''her'' little ones. Perhaps, not at all very healthy love. You could call it motherly, smotherly love, I suppose. But, nonetheless, still love. And in a cold, heartless, even dystopian world, any kind of love will do. Even for 'Mummmies'. 

Despite its rather heavy subject, somehow, I thoroughly enjoyed creating this series. I just took a liking towards the main character in the drawings, as she (yes, she is definitely a she, well, to me she is - feel free to think or feel otherwise) has some definite charm about her appearance, even though the whole scenery contains something disturbing. 

As someone recenty told me: ''Charmingly disturbing or disturbingly cute, can't exactly pinpoint what it is about your work in general and definitely about this series - but, for me, it's one of those two.''

For now, I have finished the first six drawings. There will be more. This is one of those series I feel I am not done with yet. It'll be interesting to see how this one will develop itself further. Will this end badly, like ''too much love will kill you in the end'' kinda thing or is there some kind of an escape route. Or is it really all that bad? 

When people adrift become the Unwanted: A Family Portrait

''The Unwanted: A Family Portrait'' is a series of drawings pretty much in line with the theme of ''Silenced Minority'', which is about oppression and repression of minorities.

''The Unwanted'' basically consists of a number of portraits of people on the run. The little folks, the ''everyday people'', the ones that are of no importance to the powers that be: the decisionmakers, the influencers. The politicians, the multinationals, the generals. The little folks are the ones that have no influence on the greater events that make up the history of our times. These are the people, whose names aren't mentioned in the history books - apart from, perhaps, certain statistics. But the thing, is, when these great historic events go horridly wrong (and boy, how often they do so), these people are the ones who have to pay the highest price. If not with their life, than at least with the way they led their life.

When those in charge create the kind of upheaval, that forces people to leave their homes, to uproot their lives, they have no choice but to go, to wander and look for safety and shelter elsewhere. That is, if these are anywhere to be found, in a world in which borders are more and more rigolously set and guarded. A world, where human lives are more and more determined by their economic value. In this world, our world, millions of people are adrift, seeking refuge or simply a better life, only to end up in the no man's land between states, between nationalities, between identities. The Unknown. The Unwanted. 

You, I, we all know some of these people. We've seen them on the news, in documentaries. The casualties of war, the refugees on the loose, the victims of events not even remotely caused by them. If not, then look in the mirror. Because what happened to them, could very well one day happen to you. To me. To all of us.

One thing though: this is not a political statement of any kind. My work deals about human nature and both the greatest and the darkest stuff mankind is capable of 'achieving'. As I often tell my friends: ''Had 'mankind' been a product, the manufacturer would have organised for a totall recall ages ago.'' Rather than a policital statement, just like ''The Silenced Minority", these are drawings about compassion with people, families, who just want to escape from war, hunger, violence, death. They just want a chance to rebuild their lives. Or what's left of it.

In some ways, it also reflects a bit of my own family history, who once had to leave the land they were born, the land they had known to be their home, and migrated to the unknown country they called their fatherland but had never seen before.

Now, for those of you who have become curious: my parents were born in the former Netherlands colony of the Dutch East-Indies, today's Republic of Indonesia. As Indo's, or to use the official term Indo-Europeans, and as Dutch nationals they were no longer wanted in the young and nationalist republic and what once had been their country of birth had become an unfriendly and alien nation to them. So, they sold whatever they could, packed up their stuff, boarded onto a steamliner and made the long journey to Holland, the unknown fatherland, after having been through years of Japanese occupation during World War II and, immediately after that, the revolutionary uprising of the Indonesian nationalists, resulting in a dirty independence war with many various atrocities commited by both sides.

It's an historic event, that, though I never wanted to admit it, has strongly influenced me as a child and still does, as an adult. In a way, it has shaped the person I am today, my views on the world, on mankind, on society, on relgion - well, basically, anything. And it definitely shows in a lot of  my art work, especially in a series like ''The Unwanted - A Family Portrait''. 

SOLD: Two-piece ''Looking Out For Nr One'' will move to a happy new home!

Today, I am extremely proud and happy to share with you all, that someone fell in love with my twopiece 'Looking Out For Nr One #1 & #2'. In fact, she fell in love so much with this twopiece, that she just had to buy it!

For those who do not know the origins of this particuliar two-piece: it was created especially for the ''Art Olympiad'', organised by the Rotterdam Centre for the Arts during the summer of 2012, the time of the Olympics in London. The theme of this art contest was 'victory'. As Witty Art is all about 'the other side of the medal', this time, almost literally, I looked at the downside of winning. More than often, the glorious victory comes at a very high price. 

So, I came up with ''Looking Out For Nr One'', a two-piece consisting of two drawings created with ink and watercolour: ''#1 Weigh Me Down'' and ''#2 Hung Up On You''. Both drawings show, in typical Witty Art style, how the most wanted glittering prize can become an unbearable burden.

When creating these two drawings, I was directly inspired by the story of Matti Nykänen, perhaps the greatest ski jumping champion of all time, the boy who people believed could fly through the sky, collecting European, World- and Olympic gold medals by the dozens. His story is that of an athlete unable to cope with success, of a sporting legend who, after his sporting days had ended, only made the headlines because of his alcohol abuse, four consecutive divorces, money troubles and even a new career as a stripper.

Apparently, I managed to get the meaning across just right, as ''Looking Out For Nr One #1: Weigh Me Down'' was elected the winner of the Art Olympiad. Now, this is something I am really proud of, especially since one of the jury members was Dutch athlete, Nelli Cooman, former European and World Champion 60 meter indoor during the second part of the '80's and the first part of the '90's. For someone like her, an acclaimed former top athlete, to see and recognize the meaning of this particular work, means a lot to me.

The Earth Rocks, while the Moon Swings, performing a smashing duet!

It's been a while since the last Witty Art update, as I've been busy with organising a couple of Witty Projects, amongst others the third edition of the quaint and cosy arts 'n crafts market Plein du Publique, a co-creation/co-production together with Roling Ontwerpt. If you're interested, you can find a visual impression of Plein du Publique at my Witty Projects Blog or go to the Plein du Publique Facebook page.

But that all doesn't mean I haven't been busy with Witty Art, just haven't had the time to put some proper updates online - but making up for that right now! 

Introducing: EarthRocks & MoonSwings
The first update being an introduction of a series that has been around since 2012, and actually has proven to be quite a popular one: ''EarthRocks & MoonSwings'', a series of small drawings (10 x 15 cm including a simple clip-on frame).

This series is part of the so-called XS (Xtra Small) Collection a line made up of miniature-sized and ditto-priced Witty Art Originals. That is, prices for works from the XS-line (available in standard sizes of 10x15, 13x18 and 18x24 max) are up to € 100,- max (including 6% VAT) and often are on special sale. By offering this XS Collection, I hope to make some of my art work accessible for people who don't have a huge budget - and hey, whether I ever make into the MoMa or not, I intend to keep it that way! 

Little Moon & Little Earth
''EarthRocks & MoonSwings'' are what you could go call a happy-go-lucky duo. Despite some ''rocky times'' and a bit of ''moody blues'', they stick together no matter what, and either laugh, dance, jump, run, walk, stroll or even carry each other through life. Their world is actually not that bad and I guess I could describe this as one of the most carefree series I have made so far. Perhaps that is what's the secret to their popularity: people experience this to be a very uplifting series, as they can relate to the two characters in many ways. I've been told ''Little Moon & Little Earth'' to many people represent true friendship or even true love, capable of surviving anything.

Well, the slightly Dystopian World of Witty Art is one full of survivors, not necessarily the fittest (so sorry, Mr Darwin) but survivors none the least. And even though ''Little Moon & Little Earth'' are definitely more cheerful than most inhabitants of this world, they clearly belong there. Let's put it this way: if there were a party around the block tonight, you'd certainly want them around, for as the Earth Rocks and the Moon Swings, they will perform a smashing duet!

Interested in purchasing in these little fellas? Each individual ''EarthRocks & MoonSwings'' (10 x 15 cm) costs just € 50,- and that's including a simple, standard clipframe and 6% VAT (and excluding postal charges etc). 

More drawings featuring these two little fellas are in progress, and, without going into further detail, I am also working on another art project involving these two. But, more information on that will be disclosed later. All in due time!

''Cornered": Switching from Single to Serial

''Cornered'' is a series I started working on during last year's fall. It actually didn't start out as a series, I thought the first drawing to be a one-off, like my other ''Single'' Works. But somehow this particular image came back in my mind, and started to appear on paper a couple of times. So, from ''single'' to ''serial'', so to speak, sometimes it just works that way.

Just black indian ink on paper, using various pens and pencils to create lines and texture. I kinda like this little creature trying to almost literally break away from the paper he (or she) feels trapped in. It's a fighter. I am happy to let this one return in a couple of more works and see where his fight to break free will take him/her.