More about this on the performance-page
The whole festival on chmkoome’s blog
Tracing the Muse
Equinox to Equinox
Same but Different – Equinox to Equinox is a short duration performance festival taking place on Sunday 22 September from 13:00 to 14:00 at the Hof in Dordrecht. Everyone is welcome to participate in openness and solidarity, embracing diversity and acknowledging each other’s individual circumstances, difficulties and conflicts. There is no fixed programme with consecutive performances but everything takes place simultaneously, collaborations can arise spontaneously. Participants so far: Marita Bullmann, Engel, August S. Geerlings, Ienke Kastelein, Frans van Lent, Christiane Obermayer, Kees Koomen, Jolanda Jansen, Nico Parlevliet, Yvo van der Vat, Yelena Myshko, Annie Abrahams, Yvette Teeuwen, ieke Trinks, Willum Geerts, Topp & Dubio. Same but Different – Equinox to Equinox is an international event for public action for freedom for all people. It takes place at about the same time in numerous locations worldwide. Every year on the Equinox (in March and September), the duration of day and night is roughly equal around the world. In the spirit of cosmic equality, the event is a global connection for people performing together in public space. This sharing of time and space brings us closer together, as a temporary (global) community to encourage, through performance art, non-violent expressions for locally specific conditions. |
I will participate with a performance called Tracing the Muse
“Buitenlanders en andere Papoea’s” continued
Het boekomslag voor het boek met bovenstaande titel van Rob Verschuren waarover ik eerder schreef kreeg mooie reacties:
Op de cover van Buitenlanders en andere Papoea’s, de tweede verhalenbundel van Rob Verschuren (1953), prijkt een schilderij van de Haagse kunstenaar Kees Koomen. Na enig nazoeken kwam ik er achter dat het werk deel uitmaakt van een serie over zijn jeugd. Het lijkt erop of hij daarop reflecteert. Hij doet dat in spontane schildergebaren. Een goedgekozen omslag want in de tien verhalen die in de bundel schildert Verschuren de portretten van niet alledaagse personages, reflecteert hij op de samenleving, stelt hij alledaagse thema’s aan de orde. Hij benadert zijn onderwerpen vanuit een originele invalshoek. Kijken naar de samenleving, ethiek, geschiedenis, geloof en liefde het komt allemaal voorbij.
Jan Stoel op literatuursite HebbanEn verder:
De omslagafbeelding heet In de nacht en is van Kees Koomen. De sfeer en de kleuren van het schilderij passen prachtig bij de inhoud. Wat de verhalen ook met elkaar verbindt, is de originele manier van kijken die uitgedrukt wordt in de stijl. Die is nu eens poëtisch, dan weer ironisch, maar altijd fraai met treffende beelden.
Yolande Belghazi-Timman op literatuursite Hebban
Buitenlanders en andere Papoea’s
Some time ago my friend, graphic designer Els Kort, noticed a picture of an old work of mine which I put on Facebook. I never exhibited the work which is part of a series about my childhood before. Els asked me permission to use it for a bookcover. She was convinced the “wild” painting suited the stories perfectly.
Acrylverf en oliepastel op papier
I thought this was a nice chance to attract attention to older work which nobody ever saw. The book is a collection of short stories by author Rob Verschuren. It will be published by In de Knipscheer in the Netherlands. I read some info about the author and I got the impression that this could work well so I gave my consent. This week Els sent the coverdesign:
I look forward to the publication of the collection of stories which is to be soon!
@ Hybrid Art Fair 2024
I presented four portraits from my series New Encounters in the EX-MÊKH exhibition ¿De Donde?. They represent people I notice on weekly walks to the Malieveld in Den Haag. I write a description in my telephone and mail it home. Then, in my studio, I paint the portraits in oilpaint on stone paper. I also write words from the texts in the painting. It is a hommage to Francisco Goya whose drawings and comments I admire greatly.
In the Petit Palace Hotel I presented two portraits on a background of text, written on the wall with one wollen thread and two portraits without backgrounds. Also, above the bed in the room I wrote a text with one red woolen thread: Her spine moved like a snake . The wall was almost black there with blue in it which contrasted beautifully with the red of the text. Maarten Schepers placed sculpture on the bed underneath which in one blink could have been paws of animals, maybe pre-historic, which would have suggested fossiles. On the other hand the work could also have been seen as flowers on a grave or a monument. This would have turned the bed into a place of memory. The contrast with my text, which to me has an erotic connotation, placed above the bed as it was, opened a lot of associations to me. It enables me to eleborate on this way of working.
right: You Are Right, You Have a Good Point There
Publicity
Preparing for Madrid to participate in The Hybrid Art Fair EX-MÊKH had secret participant Ben Faydherbe design a folder and a booklet for visitors. The booklet will be part of a growing series of small publications which EX-MÊKH uses during fairs and other exhibitions. The printing arrived yesterday and in the weekend we will leave for Spain.
Teaser
EX-MÊKH is preparing for the Hybrid Art Fair and experimenting with their materials. Here some try-outs by Kees Koomen who is looking for a interesting way to present his series of New Encounters The work is intended as an homage to the sketches Goya made in the streets of Madrid and elsewhere. Those drawings and etchings were my favourite artworks in art-school:
Studio Playlist 2023
Like every year Ron van der Ende invited artists to send their favourite music or sounds they play during artistic work. These Studio Playlists are published on a site he runs, Art BBQ. I participated since 2006 (at least, that’s the oldest I can find) and it’s each time a pleasure to elaborate on the music I play during the year past.
l’Anniversaire de l’art
Yesterday, art celebrated it’s 1.000.061st birthday at HOK Gallery and a number of other FLUXUS minded galleries all over the world. At HOK a new exhibition had just opened last week, but the festive make-over’s of single-sleeve’s have been naturally integrated in the present show: Long Bord Slaatje, bij Jesus Cinco and Rowan van As. I was able to take part in the anniversary project, and I chose Gilbert Becauds Toi, le musicien to elaborate on further.
Het Grote Aanschouwboek
On saturday December 2 Het Grote Aanschouwboek (The Big Aanschouwbook) was presented, a survey of 22 years of De Aanschouw in the Witte de Withstreet in Rotterdam. De Aanschouw is the smallest art gallery in Rotterdam and in The Netherlands if I am not mistaken. It used to be a display case on the front of a café, De Schouw, which was situated opposite the building in which De Rotterdamse Courant had it’s offices. As soon as the newspaper went to the printer it was put in the display case and the editors went to De Schouw to have a beer and to discuss the contents of the new edition.
The presentation of Het Grote Aanschouwboek took place in a well filled auditorium in TENT, you can see an account of the happening here! The book shows all the exhibitions and artists, weekly changes and the Overschilderschilderijen (overpaintpaintings) of which documentation is still available. We are happy to say that very few is missing. Edo Dijksterhuis wrote a history of De Aanschouw and collected anecdotes can be found in the back of the book. The participation of EX-MÊKH can also be found including a poster of underground member Ben Faydherbe who is responsible for the design of our publicity. An overpaint-painting of EX-MÊKH member Kees Koomen can also be found in the book. The graphic Design of bureau 75B is special for a relatively small book with no less than 1150 pages. It developed into a brickstone-account of a period of art and friendship!