
In these times of crisis and other turbulence one would almost forget that students at the art academies are actually working hard for their graduation due by the end of next spring.

Students of the Royal Academy of Art (Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten – KABK) in The Hague showed some work last weekend in a pre-graduation exhibition.

The show was spread over three venues.

Due to the fact that i had left my phone at home (i seem to be one of those rare persons who don’t feel the urgency of being constantly accessible or on-line) i wasn’t welcome at the third venue, but well, one adapts.

Part of the curriculum for professionalism is that the students have to organise their own exhibition.

Which is good, but one must bear in mind that most students are still developing things.

The two venues i visited are on one hand far from ideal for a proper exhibition, on the other hand the rawness of the two places may add to the fact that the ideas on show were still in the making.

As such one can also doubt if it is worth saying something critical about the exhibition.

At the same time, showing something in public also means that your work becomes part of the knowledge and taste of the viewer. Exhibiting means you don’t want the viewer to be indifferent.

Indifferent i never am concerning art, but the actual show did make me ambivalent.

Whether it is the influence of the present crisis or anything else, i felt a general atmosphere of bleakness in the parts of the exhibition i saw, maybe even a bit of a lack of commitment to the handicraft of the trade.

More than ever this felt like an interlude.

In the mean time i wish all students and KABK the very best in these troubled times, and that we will all be able to see your graduation show by mid 2021!

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© Villa Next Door 2020
Contents of all photographs courtesy to the students and KABK, Den Haag
Bertus Pieters
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Hi Bertus, thank you for visiting our exhibition and for the lovely review!
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Thank you, and wish you all happy holidays in spite of eveything.
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