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.

Maura Biava – Through Dimensions, 2018 – c-print, 40 x 53 cm – EUR Art Collection 

This 2018 c-print, by artist Maura Biava (b. 1970) is titled 'Through Dimensions'. The work is typical of Biava, who is internationally known for her pioneering work in poetic underwater photography. In her impressive photo and video works, the artist is depicted as a floating detached presence in a deep blue space. She started making her underwater work during her studies in the 1990s, and since then she has regarded the underwater world as a space to make her art, as if it were a studio or a gallery. She says the following about the creation of her work;

‘First, I make a drawing to envision how I wish my idea looks like. After that it is time to undertake my trip to the seaside. I look for the underwater location that fits my idea. This I do by diving. When I know where the work will take place, I go there with a diver, a photographer and the props and costumes I’ll need for the photo... Finally, when everything and everyone is ready, I dress, and I act. The diver brings me air every minute. The photo shoot takes about an hour…For me a work is finished when it works. Some of my works I had to make over and over again… Some of my best underwater works I had to remake so many times that it took a few years…’

Biava studied at the Brera Academy in Milan and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. The photograph shown here was taken in the Red Sea in Egypt in 2018, as part of a larger series of works and acquired for the EUR Art Collection in 2019.

Robert Zandvliet - untitled, 1999 - lithograph, 64 x 82 cm, – EUR Art Collection

Robert Zandvliet (born 1970) is a Dutch artist who lives and works in Rotterdam. He is known for his abstract paintings in which he harmoniously brings together geometric shapes, dynamic lines, and subtle shades of color. Over the past two decades, he has focused mainly on the theme of landscape. Zandvliet strips his landscapes of all the picturesque and reduces them to archetypal-looking fields and contours. By working with thin layers of tempera paint applied on top of each other, all that has been applied in the underlying layers remains visible. This method requires concentration and craftsmanship. Zandvliet manages to translate this approach to different materials, as is shown in this lithograph that is part of the EUR Art Collection. 

Dan Graham ‘‘Row of Tract Houses, Bayonne, New Jersey,’ 1966, photolithography, Image size, 24.3 × 31.3 cm.  Art Collection EUR

The innovative and influential American artist Dan Graham (1942-2022) was at the forefront of many developments in contemporary art, including conceptual art, video and film installation and performance art. His fascination with the economic and social framework of art and culture is visible in his works and often placed in a public context. Graham grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey, which has continued to inspire him throughout his career. Averse to what he called ‘the pretensions of modern art’, he founded the John Daniels Gallery in New York in 1964, where he exhibited the work of a new generation of conceptual and minimalist artists, including Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt and Robert Smithson. This versatile artist also wrote rock music, was an author, art and architecture critic and worked for various architects and artists. Graham: 'We all wanted to do everything. This was the scene of the 1960s New York.’

'Row of Tract Houses, Bayonne, New Jersey', belongs to Graham's 1966 series 'Homes for America'. The entire series is on display at the Erasmus Gallery until 24 May 2024 as part of the exhibition 'SEEN' - photography from the EUR Art Collection.

Patrice Pantin - Z.T., 2015            Acryl and incisions on paper 37.5 x 37.5 cm - Art Collection EUR

French artist Patrice Pantin's (1963) working process includes cutting, dripping, and burning. It is a process which is often messy and raw. The end result achieved is just as often surprisingly elegant and clean. Pantin’s artwork shown here was added to the Art Collection EUR in 2015, along with another work from the same series. What we see are several 'skin' layers applied on top of each other; wafer-thin white acrylic on a background of ink on paper. The layers are partially exposed through incisions, an extremely precise process carried out with great control. As a result, the artwork looks fragile and organic. The incisions in the paper appeal to the imagination and are suggestive of the rituals of tattooing and scarification.

Eric Claus, Bertrand Russell (Russell with pipe) - from the series 'Twenty-one Twentieth Century Philosophers in Bronze' (1997-1999) - EUR Art Collection

Eric Claus (1936) is one of the Netherlands' most prolific sculptors. Many of his large sculptures can be seen in Dutch public space. Besides large sculptures and smaller sculptural objects, Claus has an oeuvre of more than 400 medals and coins to his name. He designed four medals for Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), including the Ad Fontes honorary medal (1976) and the Umbra Erasmi medal of merit (1988), both of which are still awarded. For his Philosophers series (1997-1999) he designed medals and small sculptures. These smaller sculptural objects are illustrated in the book 'Eric Claus - Twenty-one Philosophers of the 20th century in bronze,’ with accompanying texts by EUR philosophers. The book was published in 1999 at the turn of the century and was produced in close cooperation with the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil). In May 2024, the ESPhil will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Art Now 84: Scarlett Hooft Graafland

In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) Art collection, the Erasmus Gallery presents ‘SEEN,’ an exhibition of photographs that have been added to the collection over the years.

Scarlett Hooft Graafland ‘Salt Steps’, 2004 - photo – Art Collection EUR

The exhibition also includes the work shown here; 'Salt Steps' from 2004 by Scarlett Hooft Graafland (1973). The photo was made on the immense salt flats of Bolivia; Salar de Uyuni. Hooft Graafland is inspired by the tension of places where people live close to nature, and regularly travels to remote areas to take photos for her work. She often collaborates with local residents and asks local artists to help her. She captures her work with an analogue camera. As a result, the end result is only visible once she has developed her rolls after returning home. She doesn't use Photoshop or other editing tools afterwards. About this, she says; ‘I also print from the negative, so I can't manipulate the image once it's there. I do that on purpose because I like to show things as real as possible. Especially in this day and age when so much is manipulated, and you never know if what you see is real.’

Bernard Schultze N.T., 1963, lithograph, dim. 61 x 43 cm. Art collection EUR

The fascinating work of Bernard Schultze (1915, Poland-2005, Cologne) is based on autobiographical experiences, and centers on beauty, decay, and destruction. During the war years 1939-1945, Schultze was forced to interrupt his academic training and career to serve as a soldier in Russia and Africa. After the war, during which all his artworks were destroyed, he picked up where he left off. His art had its heyday in the second half of the 20th century. Since then, his name has been inseparable from the international success of the German Art Informel movement. Schultze's lyrical work often contains brilliant, sometimes fluorescent colors with which he created non-existent landscapes, languages, and fantastic figures.

Marian Breedveld ‘Windstil’, 2007 - silkscreen - Art Collection EUR

Without depicting anything from reality, artist Marian Breedveld (1959) creates a fascinating new reality in her artworks. Although her work explicitly consists of the materiality of paint, the color of paint and the paint stroke, it undeniable evokes landscape associations. The horizontal format of her paintings, the combination of repeated horizontal paint strokes, and the role of light creates the suggestion of horizons. As a result, her works have a spaciousness and radiate a deep warm atmosphere. In the period between 1995 and 1997, Breedveld mainly used earthy colors, created by the many-colored layers she applied on top of each other. In the years that followed, she increasingly turned to pure, bright, and light colors. Breedveld is interested in the differences between colors, the nuances, and the many gradations, as clearly can be seen in the 2007 work of art 'Windstil' shown here. It is one of eight artworks by Marian Breedveld acquired for the EUR Art Collection in 2007, all with the same title.

Dan Graham untitled (Family in New Highway Restaurant, Jersey City, New Jersey), 1969, photolithography - Image size, 24.3 × 31.3 cm.  EUR Art Collection

This untitled photolithograph (Family at New Highway Restaurant, Jersey City, New Jersey) by artist Dan Graham (1942-2022) is one of six artworks from the 1966 'Homes for America' series. Graham grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and was averse to what he felt were the pomposities and pretensions of modern art. His roots continued to inspire him throughout his career. In many of Graham's artworks, his fascination with the economic and social framework of art and culture is visible. Here we see a typical 1960s scene with the American style of dress, hair, and furnishings characteristic of the period. It is a double-layered work. We look along with Dan Graham at a period scene he captured in 1967. Meanwhile, we also share the view with the family on their way in the New Highway Restaurant.

'Homes for America' from 1966 is part of the exhibition 'SEEN' - photography from the EUR Art Collection on display at the Erasmus Gallery from 12 February to 24 May 2024.

Maartje Folkeringa ‘Like (swipe) blue-purple-brown (2022),’ EUR Art Collection
Technique: glazed ceramic and metal. Dim.: '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) blue-purple-brown’ shown here.

Willem Oorebeek, Ogenblikken, 2015 - black composite panel and an aluminium sandwich panel (270 panels on commission) EUR art collection, spanning all floors of Polak building at campus Woudestein.

Some works of art are immediately identifiable as such; others blend into their surroundings and are not that easily recognized as art. The latter demands more attention of the viewer, and this certainly applies to the artwork 'Ogenblikken’ by artist Willem Oorebeek (1953). The work of art was commissioned by Erasmus University for the multifunctional education building Polak. It was realized in 2015 and consists of two vertical fields that cut through the building along the back walls, and continue over all floors. The vertical fields consist of a mirroring underlay, reflecting all rooms over the entire floor through holes in the structure in front of it. Because the mirrors are fixed in a rotated angle, the reflective space is always experienced differently. The fact that these 'mirror walls' together form a work of art may surprise the visitors and the many students who spend their days in the Polak building. And the fact that their own presence and movements in the building make them temporarily part of the artwork, might too. The best viewpoint to experience the entire artwork is from the opposite staircase on the top floor. Highly recommended!

Anuli Croon – ‘Tronie & Stad VI’, 2017 – 180x150 cm. - (matte) acrylic + metal acrylic on canvas
Art Collection EUR

Artist Anuli Croon (1964) about her work: ‘I want my work to leave room for multiple interpretations, but I am aware of all the meanings the viewer can give to it. That is why I also want to arrive at a simple and clear picture. Although I don’t use quotes, I am under the influence by everything: ancient and modern art, wrapping paper, architecture, comics, fabrics, clothing, posters… Basically anything that is staged and stylized by people. My figures are not men, not women... I give them individual similarities... such as nose, color, head, pattern, and I give them an environment, but not a specific location. This also applies to the garments. The poses of the figures are precisely because I want to present them convincingly, but do not want to give an unambiguous meaning. I use them as an anchor point for both me and the viewer.’

Art Now 77 Maura Biava (throwback)

Maura Biava ‘New Frequency_curve’ 2018 - handprint on canson rag on aluminum, 45x45 cm.  EUR Art Collection

‘I feel attracted to the hidden geometries in nature. The lightness of mathematical curves is something wonderful.’ 

 Maura Biava

Art Now 76: Mick La Rock

Mick La Rock – untitled, 2023 - Mural sketch - Art Collection EUR

Mick La Rock (Aileen Middel, 1970) is one of Europe's first and best-known female graffiti artists. In the pioneering days of hip hop, when graffiti, rap music and breakdance from New York City were conquering the streets of Europe, she passionately started writing her nickname MICKEY in 1983, only 13 years old.

During the 90s - 00s she worked and lived both in Amsterdam and New York, where she collaborated with some of the most famous graffiti artists and became part of the New York graffiti scene. Her graffiti art evolved from traditional to abstract, influenced by the raw concrete of utopian brutalist architecture of the second half of the last century and typography of the same period. Intrigued by the question, "What does a letter do when it no longer needs to be read?" she alienates the elements of her old graffiti name into abstraction, away from their original essence and composition. Still driven by hip hop, Mick La Rock believes strongly in the philosophy of "Each One Teach One." She became a teacher, lecturer and (museum) curator on the subject of graffiti, but also still travels the world for her graffiti and abstract murals.

As part of Erasmus University's 22nd Lustrum celebration, Mick La Rock created a mural design for the exterior wall of the Exam Centre in S Building on campus Woudestein. The mural, with a cross-sectional size of approximately 10 x 30 meters, can be experienced on location starting November 8.

Art Now 75: Evi Vingerling (throwback)

Evi Vingerling – Untitled, 2016 – acrylic and gouache on canvas 80 x 100 cm - Art Collection EUR

Artist Evi Vingerling (1979) has made the combination of movement and 'the everyday moment' her working method. She creates her work with a few precise strokes. It is reminiscent of the traditions of China and Japan, where artists, through endless practice, can capture the essence in apparently simple movements. Time and again, moments from Vingerling's daily life form the starting point for her work. The moment is first captured in her head and by means of a few quick snapshots. In the studio the captured moment is transformed into a work of art consisting of rhythm, space, and color.

Art Now 74: Willem Minderman

The 1968 etching seen here most likely shows a fragment of the dunes near Scheveningen. It is an artwork made by Willem Minderman (1910 – 1985). It is known that he often drew in the dunes and had a special permission card for this purpose.

Willem Minderman - untitled, 1968, etching, size 27x37 cm - Art Collection EUR

By specializing in working in black and white, for instance in his drawings and etchings, Minderman reached an abundance in possibilities of expression. Especially in his etchings, he managed to transform his expressive skills into a unique artistic style, with which he was able to build a successful oeuvre of a high and balanced level. This work was donated to the EUR Art Collection in 2015, along with 15 other etchings by Minderman.

Art Now 73: Sigrid Calon 2

The work of artist Sigrid Calon (b. 1969) is a constant exploration of composition. She is always looking for new associations and perspectives, whether it is a square meter of fabric or the facade of a building. Calon fuses shapes, colors, and volumes in an atmosphere characteristic of her and combines graphic elements in surprising ways in different materials. Her creative process involves constant research and redefinition.

Sigrid Calon - ‘WOVEN GRIDS SC_1’ (nr16), 2022 - Jacquard fabric, wool & trevira on canvas & wooden frame.

(From a series of 40 works measuring 65x65 cm. - Artist Proof /whole series KC EUR).

The monumental installation ’WOVEN GRIDS SC_1’ marks a new phase in the development of Calon's visual language. The series consists of 40 65x65 cm. textile works developed at the TextielLab of the Textielmuseum in Tilburg. The use of Jacquard woven wool creates an extra dimension of structure. The compositions appear relatively simple but have a power that continues to amaze. From a distance the emphasis is on the graphics; when getting closer, in each work a new world full of details and tactility reveals itself. This forms an extraordinarily captivating combination that invites you to keep exploring.

Sigrid Calon - ‘WOVEN GRIDS SC_1’, 2022 (detail of #16), - Jacquard weave, wool & trevira on canvas & wooden frame.

Art Now 72: Koen Vermeule

Dutch visual artist Koen Vermeule (b. 1965) explores themes of transience, loneliness and the longing for meaning in a modern society. He often depicts the relationship between people and their surroundings, in a particularly poetic and contemplative quality. Vermeule manages to capture the essence of his subjects without getting lost in unnecessary details.

Koen Vermeule - 'Poetry Suite', 2021, Piezography (high-quality pigment print), dim. 34x49 cm.
Art Collection EUR.

Often Vermeule’s work is based on the urban environment, where he finds beauty in everyday scenes and landscapes. His mastery of color and light allows him to create an atmosphere that takes the viewer into an introspective world. The works thereby often display a quiet serenity, while at the same time an underlying tension and melancholy is tangible, as we can see here in the 2021 work ‘Poetry Suite’.

Art Now 71: Sigrid Calon

The seventy-first artwork in the Art Now series is a Riso print by artist Sigrid Calon (b. 1969). The 2023 work titled "Woven Grids SC 07" belongs to a series of forty prints. The series was added to the Art Collection EUR in 2023 and is on display at the Erasmus Gallery on campus Woudestein until the first week of September.

Sigrid Calon ‘Woven Grids SC 07’, 2023 – Riso print - size approx 35 x 35 cm.

Over the years Sigrid Calon has developed her own visual language. She draws inspiration from textures, textile materials & techniques. Calon’s work is not illustrative or figurative. It is autonomous and originates through experimentation; arrangement and play. For that ‘play’ she sets her own rules and creates her own boundaries. From there on she continually re-examines the power of color and form. About its use she says; 'My work revolves around color, the power of color, the surprise of color, combinations with color, emotion of color. Besides color, form is also an important element, it's about the right combination and balance'. In doing so, Calon strives for a strong expression and autonomy of the image; 'preferably one that continues to fascinate, even if you don't know exactly why'.

Art Now 70: throwback Katrin Korfmann

The 70th artwork in the Art Now series is the 2019 piezo print 'Kornati' by Heidelberg-born artist Katrin Korfmann (1971). Korfmann's work is created all over the world. Usually in public locations where people pass each other. Over a more extended period, she takes several photos in one place, always from the same height and viewpoint. Sometimes there are 500, other times there are more than 2000. Images are merged until one photo appears that is somewhat out of place. The people in it do not relate to each other. They share the same space, separated by time.

Katrin Korfmann 'Kornati', 2019 - piezo print in frame dim. 65 x 45 cm. - Art Collection EUR

About 'Kornati,' Korfmann says: ‘I was with my family this summer (2019) on the 'uninhabited island' in Croatia with the phenomenal Adriatic Sea. We have been here before; you only get there by boat. There are no shops and no roads, no electricity and gas - to build is not allowed because it is a nature reserve, so there are only a few old fishermen's cottages. Our house is 3 m from the sea, with its clear turquoise water. It is so clear it almost looks like a swimming pool, but you can see the dark green stones on the ground if you look closely. This sea is exceptional, and it immediately makes you realize how beautiful and vulnerable our earth is.’

Art Now 69: Maartje Folkeringa

Maartje Folkeringa ‘Like (swipe)’ yellow-orange-red (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) yellow-orange-red’ shown here.

Art Now 68: Nono Reinhold

The sixty-eighth artwork in the Art Now series is a color etching by Dutch artist Nono Reinhold (b. 1929) aka IJsbrandina Sophia Wesselia de Wilde-Reinhold. The 1971 work entitled "Le Mur" is a so-called Epreuve d'artiste (E.A.); a print of a graphic work made for the artist, by the artist personally.

Nono Reinhold 'Le Mur,' 1971 - color etching, epreuve d'artist - size 28.5 x 36 cm

Characteristic of Nono's etchings is the powerful use of color and the abstraction of the depicted subject. In this color etching, she already gives away with the title of the work what we are looking at; a wall. We see a blue tinted wall containing the suggestion of a round window and two passages. The scene makes one curious, stimulates the imagination and suggests that "behind the passages" new scenes are unfolding. Nono starts making etchings in 1954, at which time she lives in Paris. After this, she settles in New York for some time before returning to the Netherlands. International contacts and traveling remain important throughout her entire life.

Art Now 66: Hester Oerlemans

The sixty-sixth artwork in the Art Now series is an object titled BLOB X18 from 2020 by artist Hester Oerlemans (1961). The artwork is installed at Erasmus University Rotterdam's Woudestein campus on March 8, 2023, as part of the International Women's Day 2023 EUR theme: Women in Art.

Hester Oerlemans - title ‘BLOB X18’ 2020 - Location: left to the Erasmus Gallery AB-57. Material: balloons, epoxy, car paint, steel - size ± 40 x 40 cm

The artwork 'BLOB X18' 2020 is part of a series of sculptures titled ‘Fixing Air’. The sculptures were created during a residency in Xiamen, China during the first outbreak of Covid 19. The series explores the possibility of fixing air in a sculpture. Each sculpture begins with the inflation of balloons of all shapes and sizes. These balloon assemblies are inserted into a larger balloon, already filled with air, through a precise process. This is then vacuumed to achieve its final shape. The skin of the sculpture is finished by being sealed in layers of epoxy to transform rubber and air into a thin but resistant layer. The sculptures, ‘Blobs’ are reminiscent of both implosion and expansion, of holding on and letting go. The result is an exciting play between recognition and estrangement.