“Sunflower blue” exhibition of Anne Kolbe
In this colorful exhibition by Anne Kolbe we got an insight into her special approach to the world around her. Anne sees and feels the matter around her like no other does. This is what Anne says about her work on display: “The myth of the blue sunflower reveals that we sometimes become fascinated by the dream of adapting nature to our own imaginations. Blue sunflowers never existed. Although biologically impossible, digitally edited images, such as the shamelessly Photoshopped images on eBay and AliExpress, bring this artificial flower to life.
In her performative installation Sunflower Blue, Anne Kolbe invites the viewer into a dialogue between the natural and the synthetic. The installation explores how we integrate plants into our lives and homes – both playfully and philosophically. More broadly, Kolbe questions our relationship with our living spaces as places where daily rituals unfold, personal shelters and places of confinement – conditions that influence the plants we surround ourselves with.”
Part of the installation is 'Planet by Plants', a glossy plant pulp that empathizes with plants through the lens of lifestyle. Planet by Plants is a speculative site for the recognition of plant activity and agency, presenting new ecologies between plants and humans. The magazine will also be for sale after the exhibition until the end of December.
“EREB” exhibition summer guests Arianne vd Gaag & Machteld van Joolingen
The opening of the EREB exhibition was on August 31, 2024.
From the speech of Ivo:
We are now standing here in the midst of new works by both Machteld and Arianne, which were created last July and August when they were invited to work together here for two months as Summer Guests.
For years they had been looking for an opportunity to do this, to find a place to quietly, fully committed, make work that otherwise would not have been possible, because of all the daily worries. They used this summer to use techniques consisting of small material elements to create a number of monumental works that have been brought together in a wonderful way, using techniques that consist of small material elements.
The starting point was not to create new work together, but to bring together each new work within a common theme that concerned them: EREB (EUROPE).
Their search, ever since it was known that they would work here as Summer Guests, took place both in the past and in the present. What did Europe look like and what did that mean for Europeans and for everyone who enters Europe? The land and the water, the borders with or without fences, or invisible on the seas, the rivers, the routes to travel. Europe owes its existence to migration; Europeans themselves have roamed the world en masse to find a new life. What will the impending restrictions, if new politicians really take control, mean for the right to exist of Europe itself? How many washed-up people on the run will the fishermen in the Mediterranean still find in their nets if Europe closes itself off even further?
Arianne's and Machteld's works encompass a lot of space, consisting mainly of no material: air. The open structures provide a lot of freedom to let thoughts flow. Perhaps that is precisely the freedom that we are in danger of losing in Europe.
“as we drift in the simmering pot things boil under the lid” groepstentoonstelling Kunstpodium-T
As participants in the 'Master Apprentice' program of Kunstpodium-T from Tilburg, we were allowed to host a group of participants in our presentation room. It was the sixth group presentation of nine presentations in NL and BE. The group had sought the bond in cooking and eating together. The bowls and spoons were also designed by the group especially for this purpose. With a special result: in a white room, works of art in all kinds of disciplines by the five artists hang on the wall with a long, narrow and low table with cushions on the floor in the center. During the opening, five special, personal dishes were eaten at this table. The shape of the spoon was often awkward and led to funny moments. What now remains is an exhibition with beautiful, tranquil works and an abandoned table. The cutlery is nicely washed again and provides a suitable mis-en-scene. Come see that...
Kind regards Man Pan, Emilia, Maika, Kamila, Baoyang,Ivo and Nicole
“Tsunami van Beelden” solotentoonstelling Nour-Eddine Jarram
Afgelopen zaterdag 16 maart was het weer volle bak tijdens de opening in galerie Nieuw Charlois. Oude bekenden, trouwe bezoekers en ook veel nieuwe gezichten deze keer! Leuk om te zien dat de verschillende kunstenaars zorgen voor die variatie van bezoekers. Dat er vanaf 17:00 al een hele boel mensen binnendruppelden was geen verrassing, want niemand minder dan Abdelkader Benali opende deze expositie door in gesprek te gaan met kunstenaar Nour-Eddine Jarram over zijn werk. Er werd gelachen, bewonderd en ook even naar binnen gekeken tijdens hun aangrijpende en inspirerende gesprek. Na het horen van dit verhaal stonden de bezoekers te popelen om in gesprek te gaan met Nour en zijn er zelfs werken verkocht. De expositie is nog te zien t/m 21 april, do t/m za 10:00 – 17:00 uur.
Wees welkom en bekijk zowel het werk van Nour-Eddine als van gastkunstenaars Robin Kolleman, Celine van den Boorn, Kamiel Verschuren, Driessens & van den Baar, Maria Ikonomopoulou en Olphaert den Otter.
Warme groet Nour, Ivo en Nicole
“Spijker Passie” duo exhibition Sam Cruden/Arie van den Berg
Last Saturday, February 24, there was a party at the Wolphaertsbocht: a well-attended opening of the new denim buddies Sam and Arie! Exactly at the opening time of 5 p.m. there was already a growing crowd enthusiastically walking from pants to bags and the unique works of art. Many newcomers to the space, interested parties from the other side of the Maas. We trust they weren't disappointed considering all the laughing, kissing, drinking and endless talking. Spread the word, spread the word. The exhibition can still be seen until March 9 and Arie will be present in person every Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a sewing machine to repair your own jeans on request!! That alone is worth a visit, even without pants or jacket.
Be welcome and share Sam and Arie's jeans passion.
Kind regards, Sam, Arie, Ivo and Nicole
"Phantombodies" solo exhibition Welmoed Bosch
On January 20, the doors of Nieuw Charlois opened to visitors of the opening of Welmoed Bosch. Welmoed has studied fashion and can technically make the most complicated patterns and execute her designs in the best selected fabrics. Now that she had the opportunity to show her work in an exhibition space, she has mainly focused on the phenomenon of presenting clothing without a person or mannequin. As a result, the work has taken an autonomous direction, which has also surprised her. The visitor imagines himself among the 'phantom bodies', on which it is still visible where on the body it should belong, but which hang on a thread like an abandoned shell as an afterimage.
The work can be seen this weekend. Be welcome at the finissage on Saturday February 17 for drinks between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM!
Warm regards, Welmoed, Ivo and Nicole
“Merged by Gravity” solo exhibition Floor Merjenburgh
Last Saturday, October 28, the door opened to those interested in the work of Floor Merjenburgh. For the first time, an artist from outside Rotterdam was presented. Floor first completed a technical training; the IPO (industrial product design), and then felt the need to become more skilled in a more artistic, free way of working. She graduated this summer from the University of the Arts in Utrecht with autonomous ceramic work. During the interview with Margriet Vollenberg (coach/founder Organization in Design and Joinanew), Floor patiently explained how the process from liquid casting clay to solidified shapes works. There are many moments that cannot be completely controlled, but as you go along and after many failures, Floor is now really in control. One coincidental factor remains constantly present in her work: the gravity of the two shapes that she allows to fall on each other. It is also the most important characteristic of the work, which you as a viewer can associate with many memories (such as wet textiles or collapsed sand castles on the beach).
Please try to come by and enjoy this. The exhibition runs until November 25.
Warm regards, Floor, Ivo and Nicole
“Mycelium Media” solo exhibition Mingus Janssen
After a working period of almost three months, the time had come to open the door to those interested in the summer guest 2023: Mingus Janssen. Mingus has used the warm summer to work intensively on a new installation: the office of Mycelium Media publishers. If the artist was not at work and the door was closed, there was always the opportunity to peek in through the peepholes in front of the window. Your eyes then met a correspondent dressed entirely in newspapers, busy writing articles.
During the work period, tables, walls and even a trolley disappeared under the newspaper and magazine clippings. A manually operated billboard also appeared with a double message about the disappearance of plant and animal species.
The photos provide an overview of the start on July 7, the official opening on September 10 (when the temperature literally rose) and the finissage on October 20 (when the rain poured down again). Keep following him, this Mingus!
Warm regards Mingus, Ivo en Nicole
“Sequencing” solo exhibition Jelmer Noordeman
The opening of Jelmer's exhibition in Nieuw Charlois was on May 27, 2023. The sun was shining and the visitors especially made it a party. On the walls 10 intense, labor-intensive paintings that make your eyes vibrate and fuel your greed. A good turnout with lots of family and friends and a delicious black cocktail.
A week and a half later there was an artist talk with Jelmer, after we had gone up to the roof of the Zuidplein shopping center (Bovenop Zuid) with an interested group. Throughout the month of June, you can take a tour of almost 1 km past site-specific work by around 40 artists as part of 'the Rotterdam Roof Days'. Well worth it, so make sure you don't miss it! Open every day from 10am - 8pm.
Warm regards Jelmer, Ivo en Nicole
“Gouwe kinderen” Mikolaj in cooperation with Suzanne
On Liberation Day, May 5, 2023, the exhibition of Charloisse's budding artist Mikolaj Stojanowicz was opened, who was disturbed by the deplorable state of a photo banner on a blank wall in his street. There are Gouwe children in the photo, photographed 18 years ago by photographer Suzanne Liem. Mikolaj has conceived the plan to once again portray the children around the Gouwstraat with Suzanne and to create a new work of art that can replace the worn out work.
In Nieuw Charlois you can see the series of children who now play and live in the street. Mikolaj made blind prints on gold paper of the photos that Suzanne took again. The new banner will be placed on the wall later this year.
Warm regards Mikolaj, Ivo and Nicole
“South Explorer salon” various artists from the South
Last Friday, April 21, 2023, was the opening of the retrospective exhibition of a large number of artists participating in the 10th edition of the famous South Explorer. Everyone was allowed to submit a work of maximum 40x40x40 cm and we tried to bring them together in the best possible way. Sometimes by theme, sometimes by color, sometimes by shape. The result was impressive. Many artists came to take a look themselves and in the two days that followed, many art lovers visited our place during their cultural tour. And this despite the bleak, wet weather.
It shows that there is a lot of beauty to see and experience on the south side of the Maas, which is also increasingly being discovered by 'northerners'. South Explorer is here to stay!
Warm regards, Ivo and Nicole
“Paint. Things” solo exhibition Laurien Dumbar
Last Saturday, March 18, was the opening of Laurien Dumbar's exhibition. Her works hung beautifully and serenely on the wall and freely in the room. When you walk outside, the blue of her prints automatically draws you in. There was a lot of attention for the work and everyone saw something different in it. It is always surprising that each artist brings his/her own audience along. The reputation of the Nieuw Charlois platform is therefore growing steadily. Thank you all for coming, comments, attention and purchases!
The exhibition can be seen until April 15, 2023.
One of Laurien's works can be admired until April 10 at Banhof, Baan 159 Rotterdam on Sat & Sun from 12:00 - 18:00.
Warm regards, Ivo and Nicole
OPEN CALL SUMMER GUEST July & August 2023
Open call
Nieuw Charlois is the Platform for Art and Design in Rotterdam Oud Charlois. The space offers a program in which artists are given the opportunity to show and/or create new work. Installations, solo exhibitions and group presentations are created in this way on average eight times a year. The focus is on artists from Rotterdam South and Rotterdam.
This year we are looking for the Summer Guest 2023, who will work in Nieuw Charlois in July and August and then exhibit there in September.
We offer:
- The Nieuw Charlois space of 50 m2, Wolphaertsbocht 81 Rotterdam
- Material allowance of €500
- Printed matter in the form of a postcard
- PR via newsletter and social media
- Opening of the exhibition in early September
We ask:
- A Rotterdam based artist with a motivated plan for an installation, new work that would otherwise not be created and is crying out to be realized now.
- Open studio for invited guests once or twice during the two working months.
- An exhibition of the work in the month of September.
- Leaving the space in its original state.
Send your CV, motivation and plan to welkom@nieuwcharlois
Deadline: 1st of May 2023
Warm regards, Ivo and Nicole
“orchestrating coincidence” exhibition of Liza Wolters & Hilde Onis
Last Sunday, January 15, was the opening of Liza and Hilde's exhibition. From 4 p.m. it was immediately full with a new and especially young audience. The space exudes a very serene atmosphere and everyone carefully walked past and under the fragile works. There was much admiration for the refined and well-thought-out work and the approach to the space, divided by a curtain with text, was also appreciated.
It is with great pleasure and pride that we will welcome everyone to Nieuw Charlois in the coming weeks (until February 25). During Art Rotterdam we are included in organized rides to and from all participating locations in the city. Do not miss it…
Warm regards, Ivo and Nicole
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