Roosen & Guests

This autumn, Maria Roosen will be taking over Nijenhuis Castle in Heino / Wijhe. She has invited artists of various ages and backgrounds to come and shed new light on the interior of the castle and its surroundings. Throughout her career, Roosen has worked with other makers, like glassblowers, as she creates her work in glass, textiles and wood. She describes this as the 1+1=3 formula – working together always produces a better result. Her work is the product of a collective process, and this is precisely the idea behind this exhibition, in which will result in new connections – and possibly also clashes – between Roosen’s work, that of her guests and the historical setting of the castle. This will give rise to a new, temporary art collective will at Nijenhuis Castle. Roosen deliberately included both young makers and artists from her own generation in her selection; the show will be all about mutual inspiration.

In recent years, there has been a much greater focus in the art world on multiple voices and collectivity, as a counterbalance to our highly individualised and privatised western society. Makers increasingly appear to be seeking ways of supporting each other, and the notion of the artist as a solitary genius was debunked long ago. Roosen & Guests will show what collectivity can mean, how people are stronger together, and also how art is constantly in motion, responding to the world around it. During the five months of the exhibition, all kinds of things could change.

Featuring works by Maria Roosen &
Nel Aerts, Jan Broekstra, Ciel van Dooren, Mischa Doorenweerd & Afra Eisma, Jeroen Doorenweerd, Jonathan van Doornum, Marlene Dumas, Ricardo van Eyck, Arash Fakhim, Krystel Geerts, Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Maria Lassnig, Natasja Kensmil, Paul Kooiker, Jaap Kroneman, Hester Oerlemans, Laure Prouvost, Marien Schouten, Marike Schuurman, Q.S. Serafijn, Marja Zomer

Maria Roosen (b. 1957, Oisterwijk, NL) explores form in glass and watercolours, both as solidified movement and as bearers of fluid shapes. Roosen often describes her art as objects intended to represent feelings, as translations of emotions that communicate in a direct and tactile way, objects that invite contemplation of growth, flowering, fertility, love and death. The creative process and craftsmanship are just as important to Roosen as the end result.

Roosen was part of Dumas, Roosen, Van Warmerdam (curated by Chris Dercon), the Dutch Pavilion at the 46th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT (1995) and Sonsbeek 2001: Locus/Focus (Curator: Jan Hoet), Arnhem, NL; Yokohama Triennale, Yokohama, JP (2005). She has had solo exhibitions at various venues, including Vleeshal, Middelburg, NL; Groninger Museum, Groningen, NL; Museum Dhondt Dhaenens, Deurle, BE; and Kunsthal KaDe, Amersfoort, NL. Her work has also featured in iconic exhibitions such as This is the Show and the Show is Many Things, Museum of Contemporary Art, Ghent, BE (1994).

A publication in the form of a magazine will appear in conjunction with Roosen & Guests.

Roosen & Guests is part of the Fundatie’s Future Factory, a laboratory where multidisciplinary makers seek out the pulse of today’s world and explore the issues that will shape the future.

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