A promotional gift from an artist, a political statement against exclusive ownership of art or as part of a performance; there are many ways in which the concept of giving away something for free manifests itself in art. The concept of freebies as a medium has already appealed to many artists for some time; entire exhibitions and academic studies have been devoted to this idea. It is interesting to speculate about the underlying idea, because the answers keep changing. Or in other words: when, and under which circumstances, is it permitted to take a work of art with you, do people actually do this, who takes it and why, and what happens to it?
These questions are the basic premise around which this project was built. The historical framework for the project was provided by an immense collection of give-aways from the nineteenth century. The exhibition was compiled and created by art students and artists from Germany and the Netherlands. The project was set up as a ‘Summer School’ by art historian Dr Johannes Stahl of the Hochschule für Kunst und Design Burg Giebichenstein in Halle and Erik de Jong of the Academie Beeldende Kunsten Maastricht, who are acting as the project’s curator and educational supervisor.
kuS is an initiative for the arts in Parkstad Limburg with a focus on diverse and innovate presentations and exhibitions by artists and curators. A fixed element in its annually recurring programme is an exhibition held during the Cultura Nova festival that ties in with the festival’s theme and in which the audience is encouraged to participate actively. The artists’creative process is exposed and clarified. In this way, art becomes more than just an abstract phenomenon and visitors come to understand that it is an integral part of their lives that has an influence on how they act.
After Cultura Nova, the exhibition will be taken to Halle where it will be shown at the Herr Fleischer art kiosk.
Photo: Johannes Stahl
| Date and Time | Saturday 28, Sunday 29 August and Wednesday 1 through Sunday 5 September14:00-17:00 (vernissage: Thursday 27 August 17:00-21:00) |
| Location | kuS, Willemstraat 91a / expected and unexpected venues throughout the city |
| Price | free of charge |
| Info | www.kunstencentrumsigne.nl |
