Edwin Stolk – realized art projects

LUNGAU (AT) — 'Conversation Pieces' was realized in close collaboration with the people of Lungau and the team of Supergau for contemporary arts. During two years of research, I have focused on the 'rural flight' - when young people exchange the countryside for the big city. This beautiful region in Austria has a rich cultural past, but how about its future? During the Supergau Festival in 2023 I initiated site specific 'Conversation Pieces' to imagine and debate the future. There are project pages made in Dutch, English, and German. With a special thank you to the Lungauer Women Network. This art project was possible by the support of Supergau for contemporary arts and Land Salzburg.

LANGERBRUGGE (BE) — 'Position 2 - View of the Langerbrugge Power Station' was part of the side program of the Ghent Light Festival 2021 in Belgium. Realized in close collaboration with the team of Konnektor. This art work took you to the source of Ghent's urban lighting. The public was invited to witness the decaying heritage. 'Position 2' was part of 'Mission Dhuicque'. Referring to where architect-photographer Eugène Dhuicque left off. Namely identifying, signifying and protecting endangered heritage in various ways. This art project was made possible by the support of: Gouvernement Ghent, Konnektor, Industrie Museum Ghent, Municipality Evergem, Den Hannekesnest, Engie, Arbo.jo, Rent2party.be, the people of Langerbrugge and the Light Festival Ghent.

BRUGSE POORT GENT (BE) — 'The Placing' (translated from Flemish 'De Zetting') was developed in collaboration with the people of social and artistic centre De Koer in Ghent. It was organized in the election year 2019. The influence of right wing parties was growing in this neigborhood. There was a polarized discussion going on about mobility policies. This collaborative sound work was engaging these circumstances and an attempt to influence the experience of the public space to make it more inclusive. Together we brought an ode to the multilingualism of the Brugse Poort. This art project was a collaboration with local residents and made possible by the support of the City Ghent and Arts Flanders

VARNA (BG) — 'Gate Closed' was an intervention in the public space of Varna in Bulgaria. It was a hopeful comment on the poor infrastructural condition as the result of neglectance and corrupt governance. It appropriated the existing urban environment, where brand new fences were placed around the ruins of a collapsed pedestrian tunnel. With small signs attached to these fences, I tried to tease the imagination towards an unreachable but more beautiful reality on the other side of the tunnel. There were project pages made in Bulgarian, English, and Dutch. This art project was made in close collaboration with Hristina Tasheva.

FREDERIKSOORD — 'Base camp ENTRE NOUS' took three years of development and preparation in close collaboration with Foundation KIK. 'Entre Nous' derived from the interesting history of 'The Society of Humanitarianism' (Maatschappij van Weldadigheid). A Dutch private organization set up in 1818 by army general Johannes van den Bosch. This utopian initiative aimed to help poor families in the aftermath of the Napoleonic French occupation, by granting them housing and farming land. From the whole of the Netherlands people were sent to Drenthe in order to get a better life. This experiment eventually lost its public support, but served as a model for the Dutch welfare state. Today politicians argue that the welfare state is no longer efficient. A participatory society is presented as the best alternative. This art project in the form of a test colony, on the birth ground of the welfare state, depended on the possibilities offered by a participatory approach. Private and public organisations joined forces to realize 'Base camp Entre Nous'. In the year 2019 I published a book describing the realization process. 'Entre Nous' was financlially supported by Foundation Kik, The Province Drenthe, The DOEN Foundation, BPD Cultuurfonds and Mondriaan Fund.

Realized in close collaboration with:

Nils van Beek, Ingeborg Sturre, Sanne Morssink, Gabriël Micheneau & others (Foundation KIK Kunst in Kolderveen), Hristina Tasheva (photography), Tineke en Hijlco Komen, the people of Frederiksoord, (TAAK), (The Society of Humanitarianism), Vrouwk Weemstra & others ( Municipality Westerveld), Anne de Jong & others (Province Drenthe), (Ministry of Defense), the participating artists: Ivanka Annot, Egon Hanfstingl, Selby Gildemacher, Elise Leusink & Jeroen Gras, Erik Fakkeldij, Herma Schellingerhoudt, Richtje Reinsma, Iratxe Jaio & Klaas van Gorkum, Charlotte van Winden, Liesbeth Labeur, Erwin Van Doorn & Inge Nabuurs and Karin Bartels, Josien Pieterse and Anne de Zeeuw (Netwerk Democratie), Ferenc van Damme ('Participatie & Communicatie' provincie Overijssel), Henk Nijmeijer(100 jaar vrouwen kiezen), Daniel Kruithof (projectleider Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten), Michelle Parlevliet (University professor Conflict Resolution and Governance aan de UvA Amsterdam), kolonel P.J.T.M. Hagenaars(Plaatsvervangend Commandant 43 Gemechaniseerde Brigade), Eric Versleijen, Ben van Bloemendal, Hans Jasperse (Veteranen Instituut), Anita van der Noord and Ko Henneman(de Nieuwe Leefstijl en Care for Sustainable Health), Dragoslav Milkovi´c (Teamleider Integratie Vluchtelingenwerk Noord–Nederland), Merhawit Gayem Shefare, Massoemeh Hosseini, Saleh Haj Asaad (representatives Vluchtelingenwerk Noord–Nederland), Mahmod Alkharat (photographer), Frans Kerver (boegbeeld @onsbasisinkomen), Petra Biemans (Lector HRM en Persoonlijk Ondernemerschap bij Hogeschool Inholland), Ronald Mulder (MIES), Rose Scholten (MEE Drenthe), Lambert Smit (Drenthe College), Klaas Smidt (wethouder gemeente Westerveld), Dette Glashouwer(theatermaker), Ralf Embrechts (initiatiefnemer Quiet500),Hub Crijns (oprichter Arme Kant van Nederland/EVA), Ulfert Molenhuis (voorzitter van de Voedselbank), Tanja Geurtsen (municipality Westerveld) and Yvonne Turenhout (CMO STAMM en het Sociaal Planbureau Groningen), Peter Everts (Creative Council Noord Nederland), Marloes de Bie (Bibit), Marcel Tankink (partner van KAW), Marieke Vegt (directeur K&C), Monica Boekholt (voormalig CBK Assen), Anne de Jong (provincie Drenthe, beleidsadviseur Cultuur, Maatschappij en Vrijetijdseconomie), Jeroen van Westen (artist) and Janine Hogeman (project leader landgoed Terheijl municipality Noordenveld), Harry Tupan (director Drents Museum), Michiel van der Kaaij (project leader Kunst in de Openbare Ruimte bij K&C), vertegenwoordigers van Dorpsbelang Vledder en Dorpscoöperatie Hollandscheveld verbindt, Yvonne Witter (adviseur Aedes-Actiz Kenniscentrum Wonen-Zorg), Paulien Melis en Janine Huizinga (Creative Care Lab van de Waag Society), Marja van Vliet (Positieve Gezondheid), Ellen Bos (Value 2 Share), Inge Vuijk (Rehab Academy), Marjet van Houten (Movisie), Drentalenten (Provincie Drenthe), Martijn Arnoldus (Voor je Buurt), Derk (Jan) Stobbelaar (Duurzaam Landschapsbeheer Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein), Stephan van Duin (bioloog), Wouter Mensink(auteur van het boek: Kun je een betere wereld kopen?), Merel Melief (Roeg & Roem), represantatives of Zuhause, Sjors de Vries (Ruimtevolk),Paul Hendriksen (o.a. Tiny Houses Coöperatie), Luit Hummel(BOKD), Jennifer Petterson (documentairemaker), Joost de Bloois (Filosoof en docent Literary and Cultural Analysis van de UvA Amsterdam), Albert Elken (directeur van de Burg. W.A. Storkschool in Dwingeloo), representatives of Coop De Buitenschool,Ecodorp Noordeland, ORKZ (Oude Rooms Katholieke Ziekenhuis Groningen, Bolderburen en Ronald Hunneman (lecturer at Kunsten, Cultuur en Media(KCM) at RUG Groningen) and many others...

DEVENTER — 'The Centre of Now' was an installation/arrangement realized at Kunstenlab. It consisted of several readymade and festival-related materials. 'The Centre of Now' explored the notion of these festivals and the position of visitors within these environments of control. It could be seen as a critique towards the political and economic instrumentalization of culture. 'The Centre of Now' was made possible by the support of Kunstenlab.

FERWERD — '5 – 4 = 1' was a theatrical representation of the Arriva bus driver as an artist. Realized during a Mondriaan Fund residency at Guest studio Louwrien Wijers. This site specific art project was based on nine-Dutch translations by artist Louwrien Wijers of statements which the artist Joseph Beuys did when he was for nine days in Japan. Text 5 is about economic culture, minus text 4 that deals with the creative potential we all have, this asks for text 1 - our widening perception of an artistic practise. '5 – 4 = 1' was offering a possible solution to approach todays fragmentation. It was a play about the possibility of the bus driver as an artist, using the potential of the bus as a common place for development and inner growth. Realized in close collaboration with: Louwrien Wijers, Egon Hanfstingl, Hristina Tasheva, people of the municipality Ferwerd, gym De Heechfinne and Arriva.

NIJMEGEN — 'Denial-of-Service' (DoS) was part of the Unnoticed Art Festival 2016. It was inspired by the characteristics of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDos) attack. By integrating this strategy in the real world, it researched the possibilities for customers to influence the highly controlled shopping experience in a supermarket. From the outside, three performers tried to convince people to buy a discounted pineapple inside and generate an out of stock experience collaboratively. With the help of Frans van Lent, Youri Appelo, Caz Egelie and local customers, 'Denial-of-Service' organized a rupture in logic of commercial strategies.

UTRECHT — 'Behind Closed Doors' was realized in collaboration with Kunstliefde. I saw an open call for artists to participate in the group show: Under Control 2015. Location for this exhibition was the former prison at the Wolvenplein. While this prison was waiting for a new owner, the Central Government Real Estate Agency (owner of the building) gave it a cultural destination temporarily. This cheap approach safeguarded the empty building from squatters efficiently. An actual artist fee for showing our art was missing, while visitors of the exhibition had to pay a ticket to see the show. Within this context of exploitation I used my appointed prison cell for private meetings. In here I discussed the need for new artistic strategies. I want to thank all the people who came to visit me in prison.

KOLDERVEEN — 'The Sound of Coöp. Dairy 'De Venen' was developed in close collaboration with Foundation KiK. The final sound work (and exhibition) was realized during a Mondriaan residency in this former dairy. It dealt with the question; "if we were able to bring back the sound of the past in the industrial heritage of today?" In 1995 this dairy had to close because of economic scaling. Private apartments and some small companies are housed in the building today. With local people and former employees I made a sound map. Together we collected speakers and receivers. With a sound technician we recorded the sounds of a cheese making proces at a dairy in Rouveen. The current inhabitants of the building were asked to open up their houses for the sounds of the past. This artistic process revealed the human consequences of economic scaling. It offered the former employees not only a warm reunion, but also a powerful ritual. This art project was possible by the support of Foundation KiK, Foundation BOEi and Mondraan Fund.

In close collaboration with:

Pim Trooster, Ingeborg Sturre, Meilof Koster, the volunteers of Foundation KiK, Annette Lubbers (communication), Michiel de Boer (sound technician), BOEi, De Historische Vereniging Nijeveen, with special thanks to: Lourens Schipper, Arend Thissingh, former employees of dairy 'De Venen', with special thanks to: Aaltje Pals, Gerard Lutke and his wife, Frans Stoker, Dhr Jelsma, Geert Bouwknecht, Albert Manden, Ron Oosterveen, Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten with special thanks to: Justin Koster, inhabitants of Coop. Dairy 'De Venen' with special thanks to: Aart Oostergetel, Loes Heebink, Hillie en Arend Kikkert, Oene van der Zee, Gerard Schulenberg, Steven van der Gaauw, artists in the exhibition thought-experiment: Arjan Brentjes, Chaja Hertog, Nir Nadler, Erik Sep, Floris Kaayk, Giorgi Tabatadze, Hristina Tasheva, Klaas Jonkman, Krijn de Koning, Marieke Coppens, Marijn Ottenhof, Nina Glockner, Norman Beierle, Sil Krol, RTV Drenthe, Kringloopwinkel Meppel, Kringloopwinkel De Kring Meppel, Stichting Kringloop Zwolle Zuid, Kringloop Nieuwe Veerallee Zwolle, Bertus Roodhof, Stina v/d Ploeg.

DEN HAAG — 'Not a Readymade' was shown at Stichting Ruimtevaart in 2014. It consisted of my backpack placed on a pedistal in a white cube setting. This group exhibition was an initiative from artist and blogger Kees Koomen and showed work of several art bloggers and their view on art. With my contribution I played with the value of art in a controlled white cube environment. Presenting my backpack to challenging the relationship between art en everyday life. The first you hear when entering a museum is that backpacks are not allowed.

HAARLEM — 'Couch grass' was part of the Unnoticed Art Festival 2014. It was a group performance of nine youngsters which seemed to be loitering around in the city centre of Haarlem. In 'reality' each one of them prepared beforehand a subject of their interest and expertise. While the people stigmatized their visual presence in the street - as loitering youngsters, they focused on the exchange of their knowledge. Realized in close collaboration with: Frans van Lent, Jutka Vries, Ella Nieuwenhuijzen, Marlot Westera, Eveline de Jonge, Diedrik Sibma, Bo van den Heuvel, Shane Hoetjes, Mickey Vissers and Folkert Koelewijn.

NIJMEGEN — '24/7_Trojan' started with a fascination for the almost unreachable little park in the middle of the large roundabout called 'Het Keizer Karel plein'. Invited by artist an curator Stijn Van Dorpe, I was asked to respond on a text by the philosopher Jaques Rancière: "The power of a way of thinking has above all to do with its ability to move." In close consultation with the people of Expoplu, I wrote a letter presenting my idea for a referendum, using the movement of cars and the roundabout as an active setting for inquiries directed to the alderman for Culture, Mobility, and Education. Formally requesting permission to use the crossing toward this park as the subject of an artistic intervention. My request was rejected. Frome here all further communication with city officials was cancled. I decided to continue to interact, within my possibilities, in a wide variety of ways. '24/7_Trojan' was a collaboration with Stijn Van Dorpe, Angela Vissers, Anita Waltman, Mariska van den Berg, Joost de Bloois, Aglaée Degros, Feico Hoekstra, Lucette ter Borg, local politicians from Green Left, VVD and D66 and the board of Expoplu. Made possible by: Expoplu.

AMSTERDAM — 'Conjuncture of circumstances' was a sound and video performance. In an online video I imitate a trumpet playing: Taptoe-signal. This signal is played in the Netherlands at 'Remembrance day of the Dead' that is held annually on May 4th. This trumpet signal commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the beginning of the Second World War. 'Conjuncture of circumstances' reacted on the political climate in the Netherlands and its growing hostility against minority groups. The soundwork was part of the graduation show of the Sandberg Institute and played in the exibithion at artist initiative The Servicegarage.

HOORN — With 'The Organisation Office' I tried to transform the 'white cube' from HMK | Hotel MariaKapel into an 'open office' for the people of Hoorn. It researched the role and function of art. How it relates to the social issues outside the art category. It was realized in close collaboration with: The people of HMK | Hotel Maria Kapel, Kantoormeubel recycling, Budget Display, Hristina Tasheva and made possible by the Mondriaan Fund.

AMSTERDAM — 'The Void' was part of the group show 'We Will Never Know for Sure' by Sandberg Institute students at artist initiative W139. My contribution to this show was questioning the meaning of showing art, the role of the artist who is showing and the art venue as place for art. 'The Void' consisted of several different elements like walks, talks, presentations, videos and other web-based content. It was possible by the support of: W139 and the Sandberg Institute.

AMSTERDAM — 'A Life Changing Experience' took place at the Appel Art Centre in 2011. It was a flash mob inspired by statements of the former state secretary of education and culture Halbe Zijlstra (VVD politician) in the Netherlands. He announced on television to make governmental subsidies for museums depended on visitor ratings. At the same time this museum was accused in a newspaper to attract only a small group of insiders and only at their exhibition openings. In response, I invited people to join me for a flash mob in front of the pay desk - connecting with a queue the heart of this art museum with the reality outside. After half an hour everybody disappeared in the city. 'A Life Changing Experience' researched the possibilities for collective action in times of individualization. It was realized in close collaboration with: Loek Grootjans, Alicia Framis, Lucette ter Borg, Hristina Tasheva and the people of the Sandberg Institute, everyone sharing the call on - and offline and all the participants who answered this call and were queuing all together.

HEEMSKERK — 'The Hanging Gardens of Babylon' was part of the outdoor groupshow 'Schone Schijn'. It investigated what nature means in a Euro 2000 protected reservation - a dune area nearby Heemskerk. This intervention was inspired by the famous painting 'The Hanging Gardens of Babylon', painted by the Heemskerk born Maarten van Heemskerck. This painting is depicting one of the Seven Wonders of the World. These gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar II, the Chaldean king, in about 600 BC as a consolation to his Median wife, who missed the natural surroundings of her homeland. It brought me to the idea to turn this concept around and bring what is considered outside the nature, into the reserve. 'The Hanging Gardens of Babylon' fueled a lively debate when fences, cars, containers and other materials were exhibited in the dunes. It was realized in close collaboration with: Jaap Velserboer and Ronald Tebra, Stichting Beeldende Kunst Manifestatie Heemskerk, The North Dutch water company, Car dealers Klok & Thissen and Poelenburg, Multimade Heemskerk, MIK meubel interieur Koevoets, Hristina Tasheva and all the volunteers. This art project was made possible by Stichting Beeldende Kunst Manifestatie Heemskerk.

AMSTERDAM — 'WAR OF CURRENTS _eliminator of possibilities' was a material action at artist initiative The Servicegarage. It was questioning the 'white cube' as a manipulative space. The Servicegarage was located in an old citroën car garage and I collected all the available materials that referred to this past in an art installation. 'War of Currents' was a material action and a statement. It claimed the attention for new artistic currents and questioned contemporary art in (protected and commercialized) art venues - seen as the 'eliminator of possibilities'. Realized in close collaboration with: Ehsan Fardjadniya, Frank Ammerlaan and the people of the Servicegarage.

DELFT — 'Lets Feed Ice-cream to the Rats' was realized in an old telephone booth. It searched for different forms of dialogue between a work of art, the surrounding and spectators. This material action provoked a variety of responses and was realized in collaboration with: Els Cornelis and Voor de Kunst.

THE HAGUE — 'Not 4 U' was my graduation work at the Royal Academy of Art. 'Not 4 U' exhibited all the materials that were removed from the academy building in order to establish clean white cube presentations. In a large installation at the basement of the academy, the excluded materials, tables, cupboards and chairs formed a 'reality' that visitors were not supposed to see. 'Not 4 U' can be seen as my first material action. It dealt with the ordered surrounding, the meaning of art in controlled spaces and the construction of 'reality'.