Our Lord in the Attic

Early Saturday morning and although its cold and weekend I decide nevertheless to visit the Winter Salon. This Art Fashion and Design event is spread over various unique locations in Amsterdam and organized twice a year. The kick off is at Our Lord in the Attic, a hidden Catholic church built during the Reformation in the 17th century. The church is nearly empty, the tourists are probably outside searching for the church that doesn't look like a church.

The experience of this holy space with its beautiful colors and rich materials is quite exceptional and the exhibited contemporary expressions blend in surprisingly well. The interior has just been renovated and some traces of historical research are still visible. Funny how my judgement of the presented works seems to be influenced by the atmosphere of this hidden sanctuary. A bit blurred.

Outside some first snow flakes swirl down in slow motion, inside its warm and safe. I think I 'll stay just a little bit longer.

Louise te Poele City Bird

Traces of restauration research

wallpaper

Ceramic tiles floor pattern

FredFarrowBrittAvelontan

FredFarrowBrittAvelontan

After I leave the church the weather is becoming more and more dramatic. The rest of the day is a constant search for shelter and hope for a reliving of the Our Lord in the Attic experience. Each time I enter the next historic highlight I feel a relief, friendly people, nice environment, but the presentations are often disappointing. Luckily there are some exceptions that makes this quest worthwhile.

Museum Geelvinck pantry, low storage room above the dining room

Museum Geelvinck, Sara Vrugt

Museum 'Het Grachtenhuis' Vroonland and Vaandrager

Museum 'Het Grachtenhuis' Borre Akkersdijk en Friso Dijkstra

Museum Het Grachtenhuis, Desiree Hammen "Cherish"

Museum Het Grachtenhuis, Desiree Hammen "Cherish"

The museum of everything

14, Boulevard Raspail, Paris

Walking on the Boulevard Raspail I notice a sign positioned above an alley that draws my attention. Although I had decided to spend my time in Paris as efficiently as possible I somehow can't ignore this elegantly black and red hand painted sign with the mysterious title: 'The museum of everything'...

a trail of anonymous names

Once entering the alley there is no way back. The walls are covered with strains of unfamiliar names in hand written typography, it invites me to go deeper into tunnel. Halfway the alley a young man sitting inside a little red and white striped cubicle is selling tickets, now it really starts to feel as if I have walked into a performance. Some small talk with the man learns me that this is not a regular museum, this is a place where work of some 200 autodidactic artist is presented. It sounds crazy enough to me to decide to go with the flow and to buy a ticket.

ticket vending box

The alley leeds me to a spacious 'cour' with a hugh building in it, a former catholic boarding school for girls as I am explained later. The big arrow in the 'cour' leaves no doubt where to head to. I climb the two storeys high external metal staircase and when I finally enter the space I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the intensity and the density of the exhibited work, the whole place is packed with paintings, small installations, photographs, textile art: you name it and it's there.

la cour

signs for everything

Next to each work hangs a sign with a description of personal details connecting the peculiar fascinations of the artist with the exposed work. Sometimes it describes drama in a nutshell, sometimes it's really crazy but often it's touching. These little stories can concern anybody, they read like a compact representation of daily life flirting with the crazy side of it.

It is not allowed to take pictures of the exhibited work, warnings of a 1000 euro fine for the sinner are clearly taken seriously by the visitors. Luckily the attendant gives me permission to take photographs of the text, which to me is as important as the work itself. The same woman also explains me more about the story behind the exhibition that is originally coming from London. The British curator James Brett initiated the concept of the Museum of Everything with work of the 'self made man' that is 'living outside society'. Le nouveau 'Art Brut' as she explains to me.

Whatever it's called and however it's labelled it is a fascinating and convincing exhibition. You can easily wander around for hours in this hugh unpolished art space absorbing the stories. Unfortunately the exhibition will be finished soon and as I understood the building will be torn down in the near future. A pity, the rawness of this space feels like the perfect context for these captured emotions.

the shadow that seems to have a life of its own

Today I visited 'In and out of fashion' an exhibition in the Photography Museum 'Huis Marseille' to see some fascinating images of the Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen.

Although there are some clearly distinguishable leitmotivs in her work, the images of Viviane Sassen are far from obvious. Strange sometimes surrealistic visual stories are created with shadows that seem to have a life of its own. Colorful images of complex collage like compositions in which it is not clear what body part belongs to which person or how many persons do occupy the image.   

By introducing a partly concealed second model or by merging two persons into one a feeling of alienation is created in a very subtle way.
It takes a while to understand what you are looking at.

In the cellar of the building a little insight in the process is given. Looking at the sketch books and listening to an interview it becomes clear that the work is very conscientiously constructed. In simple line drawings the starting point for some final works that are exhibited upstairs can be recognized. 

In another space the exhibition is made more dynamic, moving images are projected on a mirror wall that subsequently reflects the images on an opposite separate panel in the room and on the wall. The complexity of this set up seem to refer to the photo sessions in which also mirrors are used. On an adjacent big screen an endless row of images moves in reasonably rapid tempo from left to right. It is impossible to stop watching, each image grabs your attention and makes you eager to see whats next.