February 23 – March 23, 2008
Tuingalerie Pulchri Studio, Den Haag (NL)
Participating artists: EX-MÊKH – Mark de Weijer, Maarten Schepers, Hans Ensink op Kemna, Kees Koomen and guest artists: Mark van Overeem, Sara Benhamou, Esther Tamboer, Chris Dagradi
The “Tuingalerie” in the relatively conservative Artists Society Pulchri Studio is very suitable for a different kind of presentations and installations. It fits the strategy that EX-MÊKH follows, i.c. the organizing of exhibitions in a large variety of venues of different nature. The challenge of the specific character of this society is an important element for the participating artists, individually and as a group. Pulchri Studio, beïng a stronghold of the traditional Art World of Den Haag, is a challenging option to us. It represents a different context than the artists inititatives where we exhibited until now.
After “Op Uitnodiging I” at CBK, Apeldoorn we decided to welcome the possibility to invite other artists next to the participants of EX-MÊKH. It seemed a nice way to react more adequately to the situations that could occur. For this occasion Ellen Rodenberg, who is normally present in EX-MÊKH-activities, excused herself for not being able to participate. We invited Mark de Weijer to take her place. Then, all four of us chose a guest artist and the exhibition will thus be made by eight artists.
Hans Ensink op Kemna, who curated the exhibition, suggested the following concept:
“This space is relatively small, has its limitations because of the windows, the doors and the light from above. To prevent an exhibition from becoming too chaotic, the point of departure has to be identical for every artist. Each will receive a roll of paper and a number of measures related to the space to which his or her work has to comply. The papers have to stay intact and they will be installed next to each other on the walls. The bottom side of the paper will stay free and may partially curl over a piece of the floor. This will result in a fragile but strong three-dimensional image. I expect this to give a sort of uniformity to the exhibition. On the other hand the individual working-space will be limited which will cause a certain tension. The aim is this shall result in a stronger individual contribution. The exhibition will move between the boundaries of what is possible in the use of paper, a material which is the starting point of the creative process for many an artist. The conceptual elements of the project have its effect on the consciousness of the artists. Their imaginary contributions already play their role in the conception of their own work.“
