Art Rotterdam 2024
Art Rotterdam 2024
Art Rotterdam 2024
From 1 until 4 February 2024
For this years edition, we asked Francis Boeske from Francis Boeske Projects to curate our booth.
Artists: Caja Boogers, Koen Doodeman, Jochen Mühlenbrink, Johan Tahon, Thomas Trum, Arjan van Helmond.
Highlight:
Caja Boogers worked for over a year on the work ‘Retelling’.
The work ‘Retelling’ consists of 50 individual paintings, all oil on linen, all referencing the same image.
Through continuous pictorial repetition, Caja Boogers transformed the depicted subject into an almost abstract gesture. At the same time, it’s the craftsmanship that is needed to realise this, what makes this image increasingly significant. As if there is a certain need to capture this figure in this manner.
The portrayed subject is drawn from an aged photograph found in a family album that shows the artist’s ancestors in the former Dutch East Indies. This process combines a painterly urge to comprehend an image through repetitive painting with a deep personal nostalgia that persists within the Indo-Dutch community. It reflects a collective sentiment over a bygone era and a culture that is gradually fading away.
The craftsmanship on display reveals itself in the imperfections of the work. Much like Batik Tulis, a traditional Indonesian method of hand-dyeing textiles with wax, the true essence of the work isn’t found in the repeating motifs. Instead, it lies in the subtle variations that exemplify the patience and dedication of the maker—a reflection reminiscent of the artistry found in the vanishing culture it seeks to immortalise.
