Last week the artists of Hgtomi Rosa organised an open studio event from Thursday to Sunday.
Hgtomi Rosa are Jan-Dirk Adams, Daniele Formica, Jiao Jiao Li, Yukari Nakamichi, Constantijn Scholten, Laura Snijders and Alex Webber.
They are artists who are not just making art to show it in a gallery, hoping to sell it at a nice price to a nice art lover or collector.
They are artists who are interested in the making of art as a process related to the appreciation of art.
Their works of art are not just developed to become autonomous and authoritative objects; the relations between the viewer, the space, other objects, the reason why a work of art is presented in a certain way, are just as important, if not more important.
To them making art is not just a material process, it is an intellectual or emotive experience in which the viewer can take part.
Within that context these artists don’t just make paintings and drawings, they also make installations, do performances, and they organise situations in which the viewer can feel free to participate and have his/her own experience.
As a viewer you need not feel compelled to participate, but the artists are as interested in your experience with their work as you are in their work.
To them art is something to be shared.
For the occasion each artist presented a new work of art in the front space of the building.
As usual the artists were hospitable, and their studios showed almost inexhaustible streams of ideas and inspiration.
It is important in a city like The Hague to have a bunch of energetic and talented young artists around who want more than the aesthetics of autonomous art.
It is all the more disappointing that in a city like The Hague, with its cosmopolitan aspirations, giving opportunities to these artists isn’t high enough on the agenda, in spite of the things that have indeed been achieved.
Of course, as a young artist you are perfectly well aware of the fact that being an artist is not the easiest way of life.
However, building a normal life is a complicated and expensive business these days, let alone if you want to build a life as an artist.
The tyranny of the market has penetrated all veins of life, it is preached as the common religion of our society, and it wants young artists like these to be competitive, instead of doing what they are good at.
But let’s not get too gloomy (being gloomy definitely doesn’t help), as, after all, the energy and inspiration given by people like these artists is valuable, and it was there to be experienced during the open studio days.
So, if you missed this, be sure to attend next time Hgtomi Rosa presents something!
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Contents of all photographs courtesy to the seven artists
Bertus Pieters
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