Gerrit van Bakel
Georg Baselitz
Joseph Beuys
Marcel Broodthaers
James Lee Byars
Sarah Charlesworth
Thierry De Cordier
Robert Delauney
Braco Dimitrijevic
Erwin van Doorn
Inge Nabuurs
Marlene Dumas
Barry Flanagan
Hamish Fulton
Douglas Gordon
Jenny Holzer
Anselm Kiefer
Surasi Kusolwong
Richard Long
Cristina Lucas
Klaus Mettig
Piet Mondriaan
Deimantas
Narkevicius
Marko Peljhan
Pablo Picasso
Oliver Ressler
David Robilliard
Martha Rosler
Allen Ruppersberg
Katharina Sieverding
Ulay
Marina Abramovic
Jan Vercruysse
Andy Warhol
Yang Zhenzhong
Charles Esche
Christiane Berndes
Galit Eilat
Diana Franssen
Steven ten Thije
The exhibition presents a selection of important works from the museum's collection together with several special guest artists. In this last part of Play Van Abbe, visitors are invited to play a role whilst visiting the museum; the roles are the pilgrim, the tourist, the flaneur and the worker. With works by Joseph Beuys, James Lee Byars, Sarah Charlesworth, Erwin van Doorn and more.
What role do you play?
On Saturday 26th February, Play Van Abbe Part 4: The Pilgrim, the Tourist, the Flaneur (and the Worker)
will open in the Van Abbemuseum. The exhibition presents a selection of important works from the
museum’s collection together with several special guest artists. In this last part of Play Van Abbe, visitors
are invited to play a role whilst visiting the museum; the roles are the pilgrim, the tourist, the flaneur
and the worker. The pilgrim is focused on the object of art; the tourist on stories; the flaneur on time and
the overall museum experience. Finally, the workers are the roles that seek an active confrontation
with art and produces new ideas for themselves and others. Visitors are invited to change roles during
their visit and experience how artworks appear different according to the way how they are judged.
By offering these classical roles, the museum seeks to focus directly on the visitors themselves and the
way they experience art, rather than to thematise the artworks themselves.
The exhibition will be opened at 16.00 by Matthijs Rümke, artistic director Het Zuidelijk Toneel, and
Charles Esche, director of the Van Abbemuseum. During the opening special guides will give tours of the
new exhibition from their own perspective.
Play Van Abbe Part 4 runs until August 2011 and hosts a varied programme of performances, films and
other events.
The roles
In the fourth part of Play Van Abbe, the museum focuses
on the criteria that visitors often use to make judgements
about art. These criteria have become more complex
and uncertain over the last years and are certainly no
longer limited to the old measures of beauty and truth.
The title of the exhibition describes possible roles that a
museum visitor can play when looking at an artwork or
exhibition. Each of these roles experiences the museum in
a different way and each will have their own ‘tools’ to
explore the museum. Roles are never fixed and visitors
can change them during their visit, or revisit rooms in a
new character. Neither do they represent a hierarchy of
experience and, in fact, each might be said to fill in the
lack in the others.
On a spiritual journey, the pilgrim seeks revelation through
contemplative observation. In contrast, the tourist takes a
break from daily routines, and looks for the experiential
and authentic. Wandering without a goal, the flaneur is
open for everything while committed to nothing. The
more active position of the worker can be approached
from any role. The worker is the producer of new stories
and meaning, and in this role, the visitor can leave behind
feedback and commentary for those who come after.
The roles are not meant to clarify whether something is
good or bad art, but open up new perspectives for a
visitor on the artworks, the exhibition and the museum as
a public place for experience and exchange.
In order to assist visitors on their journey, there will be a
number of ‘game masters’ in the museum. They will guide
each role and help with orientation and giving feedback.
The artworks
In the Oudbouw (old building) of the museum the
symmetry of the architecture has been exploited to
construct a three-dimensional mandala in which visitors
are taken on a journey through a landscape of artworks
about individual and collective social experience. Works
are on show by Ulay / Abramović, Georg Baselitz,
Joseph Beuys, James Lee Byars, Hamish Fulton, Douglas
Gordon, Jenny Holzer, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Long, Oliver
Ressler, and others.
On the ground floor of the Nieuwbouw (new building) the
exhibition continues, following a parcours that resembles
a stroll through an unknown city. Visitors in their various
roles can stay on the street or take a look behind the
facades to discover more intimate and private artworks.
Works by Sarah Charlesworth, Robert Delauney, Erwin
van Doorn & Inge Nabuurs, Barry Flanagan, Surasi
Kusolwong, Katharina Sieverding, Andy Warhol and
Yang Zhengzhong, amongst others.
On the second floor of the Nieuwbouw (new building),
the exhibition Time Machines – Reloaded will also be on
view during Play Van Abbe Part 4. Visitors will find four
presentations based on special museum models from the
past. Like with Part 3, there will be some changes in this
exhibition during Part 4, in co-operation with guest
curators and artists. Amongst other things, in April an
important work by Marko Peljhan will be added.
Sponsors
Play Van Abbe is made possible by contributions from
The Mondriaan Foundation, BankGiro Loterij, Province
Noord-Brabant, VSBfonds and SNS REAAL Fonds.
Artists
Gerrit van Bakel, Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Marcel
Broodthaers, James Lee Byars, Sarah Charlesworth,
Thierry De Cordier, Robert Delauney, Braco Dimitrijević,
Erwin van Doorn & Inge Nabuurs, Marlene Dumas, Barry
Flanagan, Hamish Fulton, Douglas Gordon, Jenny Holzer,
Anselm Kiefer, Surasi Kusolwong, Richard Long, Cristina
Lucas, Klaus Mettig, Piet Mondriaan, Deimantas
Narkevičius, Marko Peljhan, Pablo Picasso, Oliver Ressler,
David Robilliard, Martha Rosler, Allen Ruppersberg,
Katharina Sieverding, Ulay / Abramović, Jan Vercruysse,
Andy Warhol, Yang Zhenzhong.
Curators
Charles Esche, Christiane Berndes, Galit Eilat, Diana
Franssen, Steven ten Thije.
The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven is one of the first public museums for
contemporary art to be established in Europe. The museum’s collection of around
2700 works of art includes key works and archives by Lissitzky, Picasso,
Kokoschka, Chagall, Beuys, McCarthy, Daniëls and Körmeling. The museum has an
experimental approach towards art’s role in society. Openness, hospitality and
knowledge exchange are important. We challenge ourselves and our visitors to
think about art and its place in the world, covering a range of subjects, including
the role of the collection as a cultural 'memory' and the museum as a public site.
International collaboration and exchange have made the Van Abbemuseum a
place for creative cross-fertilisation and a source of surprise, inspiration and
imagination for its visitors and participants.
Image: Surasi Kusolwong, Emotional Machine (VW), 2000-2004. Installation at Palais de
Tokyo, Paris. Courtesy the artist & Palais de Tokyo. Photo: Daniel Moulinet
Closing symposium
The 18 months programme Play Van Abbe will be
concluded by a symposium in July.
Ilse Cornelis, Marketing & Communication
Phone: +31 (0)40 238 1019
Mobile: + 31 (0)6 12995794
Mail: i.cornelis@vanabbemuseum.nl
Programme opening 26 February
16.00 - 16.30:
Opening speech in the auditorium by
Matthijs Rümke, artistic director Het Zuidelijk Toneel, and
Charles Esche, director Van Abbemuseum.
16.30 - 18.00:
Tours by special guest guides.
Van Abbemuseum
Bilderdijklaan 10 - Eindhoven
Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 – 17:00
Thursday 11:00 - 21:00
On Thursdays, entrance to the museum is free from 17:00
Entrance
Adults: € 9,00
Groups of 10 persons or more, senior citizens: € 7,00
Students; holders of the Dutch young people’s cultural pass (CJP): € 4
Thursdays from 17:00 - 21:00: free entrance