| |
The Seduction of the Lowlander
by Wim van der Beek
It certainly can’t be said that Rob van der Hoeven has no sense of irony. The Rotterdam artist welcomes visitors to Museum Nagele with greetings from his native city. Coincidence or not, Van der Hoeven’s exhibition, ‘Greetings from the Big City’, concurs with Rotterdam’s frenetic efforts to be recognized as a hip, contemporary metropolis where it’s all happening.
Although Rob van der Hoeven uses the occasional cliché, he does it in such an ironic and ingenious way that his view of the port city is both palatable and unfamiliar. With polystyrene and imitation leather, the artist evokes the image of a city governed by loose morals. His work reflects some serious browsing in the SM section of sex shops and the red-light district. Whips, leather outfits, masks, high boots and other items meant to stimulate sexual excitement form the basis of sculptural art with an ironic undercurrent.
Wall-mounted leatherette objects emanate an air of alienation. Appearing at various spots in the exhibition space are non-functioning fire extinguishers. With this strange mix of pretence and reality, the artist constantly misleads the viewer. He does the same with his wry and absurdist human images. Stylized figures with skull and crossbones and clenched fists – as well as a kitsch fake-leather sofa with fluffy fur, a cabinet with downy figures and a whorish jacket – explore the boundaries of good taste.
For that’s what the artist does primarily: he questions good taste and morals. With the necessary vitriol, he pushes the envelope of the permissible and acceptable. This art doesn’t shock; it provokes. With pinups, blacks, ape men and erotic poses, he draws out the viewer and exposes the Lowlander to the carnal seduction of the big city. The artist has entitled one of his pieces Exotic Existentialism. It’s a term that nicely describes what’s on his mind.
De Sentor, 22-01-04
Click here for original article |
|
