Art Now

"Art Now" shows a new work from the EUR art collection every two weeks. Art Now, digitally on the screen, for inspiration, as consolation, imagination, reflection or as a distraction and extender of reality.

Metten Koornstra untitled, 1976, lithography

In this 1976 untitled lithograph by artist Metten Koornstra (1912-1978), we see a Koornstra typical depiction of figures in a tranquil landscape. The artist was born in Rotterdam; but spent a large part of his childhood in Haarlem. In the late 1930s, he took lessons at the Rotterdam Academy. There he learned the technique of lithographing (stone printing); a technique that he would master fully. A few years later Koornstra bought an old lithograph press and set up his studio as a printing shop. This led to the famous print shop 845 at the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. With the assistance of Piet Clement, printshop 845 grew into an internationally well-known company, specialized in printing techniques. Koornstra, was, in addition to being a graphic artist and painter, an illustrator of books and designer of book covers and theatre sets. The latter made him also known as 'the decorator of Het Boekenbal’.

Maartje Folkeringa ‘Like (swipe)’ mint-green-blue (2022), EUR Art Collection. Technique: glazed ceramic and metal. Dimensions: 'Like' approx: 27x41x6 cm., steel wall shelf: 42,5x11 cm.

Maartje Folkeringa (b. 1978) works from starting points or prompts that she finds in the complicated unwritten rules of contemporary society. She is inspired by verbal and non-verbal communication, self-presentation, and conformism. Today's visual and consumer culture are also recurring sources of inspiration that shape her oeuvre. With the series "Like (swipe)," created in 2022, she gives us a poetic look at ‘liking,’ a gesture and digital form of communication that is part of many people's everyday actions. The series consists of 12 unique objects made of colored ceramics. By using candy colors and pastel shades, Folkeringa enhances the playful and airy nature of the work. In 2022, three Like (swipe)'s from the series were acquired for the EUR Art Collection, including the ‘Like (swipe) mint-green-blue’ shown here.

Silvia B., Karen’s Sparkle 2023 - Size 28x31.33 cm - Material patent leather platform pump, hazel shoot, epoxy, paint, and electrical wire. 

Social engagement, lust for life, and sensuality are central to the surreal, absurd, and poetic world of Rotterdam-based artist Silvia B. (1963). The line between man and nature becomes fluid where this artist seamlessly fuses the 'naked skin' of adolescents with debarked tree stumps, branches, and plant roots. Her new sculpture series Entanglement depicts both the celebration and drama of human life on earth and shows the inextricable connection between humans and nature. At the same time, human activity has affected climate and nature on a large scale, leading to an uncertain future. This uncertain future resonates in the titles of Silvia B.'s sculptures: Eden's Expansion, Juni's Longings, Kaya's Journey, Platy's Party, and Karan's Sparkle. They refer to desires, dreams, hopes, ambitions, and the young generation’s search for freedom and meaning, while balancing between the pleasures and temptations of life and the impact that life has on the earth's climate. Silvia B.'s artworks, including Karen's Sparkle's which is shown here, will be on display at the Erasmus Gallery from November 8 to March 8, 2025.

Based on a text by Haiko Sleumer

JCJ Vanderheyden – ‘Midnight Sun’, 1990 – silkscreen, 55 x 80 cm – EUR Art Collection 

Through the plane window, we look along with artist JCJ Vanderheyden (1928-2012) during one of his many trips he made to Nepal, China, and Japan. The trips inspired him and were the source for, among other things, his series of works with airplane windows, an essential chapter in his career of more than 50 years. Observation - looking - is one of the central themes in his art, as is the horizon we see from the airplane window. Vanderheyden's horizon is never straight; the perspective changes and is convex, vertical, or sloping. He always tried to capture the complexity of reality in a simple image. With his frames, grids, and mirrors, Vanderheyden repeatedly draws concentrated attention to boundaries, separation, and dispersion. At first, he did this as a painter, and from the mid-70s onward also by using a variety of media such as photography, screens, graphics, film, photocopies, sound, and computer images.

Co Westerik ‘De Kus’, 2003 – Etching on scooped paper, 27 x 22 cm. - EUR Art Collection  

The artwork 'De Kus' (the kiss) by artist Co Westerik (1924-2018) from 2003 became part of the EUR Art Collection through a private gift in 2016. It is not the first or only work of art by this artist in the university collection.  As early as 1971, a work by his hand was purchased as the first of a total of 22 that are now part of the collection. Co Westerik painted, drew, etched, and photographed the ordinary from the amazement he felt for it. The multi-talented artist has consistently built up a rich and fascinating oeuvre in which he magnifies everyday life by zooming in on it. In doing so, he mostly chose a point of view that brings the beholder uncomfortably close to the everyday. 

Marije Vermeulen, Hook-Ups (detail), 2024 - dim. approx. 13x19 meters - location south facade E-building, campus Woudestein - EUR Art collection 

Marije Vermeulen (1976) was commissioned by Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) to create a mural on the plaza façade of the E-building on the Woudestein campus. For its design, she was inspired by the unique architecture of the building; Geometric shapes and lines form a connecting pattern that builds on the existing lines and details. A reference to the origins of the shapes and patterns of the mural can be found in its title Hook-Ups, which refers both to connection and to a unique architectural detail of the building. The mural, measuring 13x19 meters, depicts the theme of connecting and symbolizes EUR's commitment to embracing the art of connecting through interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement.

The festive 'unveiling’ of the mural is part of the Opening Academic Year and will take place on 2 September at 12:30 on location: E building campusplattegrond D4