Fleur van Dodewaard
dal 5/3/2014 al 4/4/2014
Segnalato da
5/3/2014
Fleur van Dodewaard
Hauser Gallery, Zurich
'131 Variations' is a reinterpretation of Sol Lewitt's "122 Variations of Incomplete Open Cubes". Lending her creations a theatrical or performance-like quality, she uses irregular and found pieces of timber, which she paints with flesh tones veering into pink before she combines them to form sculptures.
HAUSERGALLERY is delighted to announce the exhibition „131 Variations“ by Fleur van Dodewaard in its gallery and likes to invite you to the opening on Thursday 6th March 2014 from 18:00 - 20:00.
«Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again, fail again, fail better.» - Samuel Beckett
Most of us will experience moments of failure at some point in our lives, whether in our professional or private lives. Those who know how to capitalize on this opportunity master the true art of living. Dutch artist Fleur van Dodewaard went through this precisely when working on her latest piece - and translated the experience promptly into her creative output.
“131 Variations” is a reinterpretation of Sol Lewitt’s “122 Variations of Incomplete Open Cubes”. Assisted by two mathematicians Lewitt succeeded in visualizing 122 variations on an open cube that was defined only by its edges. What distinguished these from ordinary 12-edged cubes was that only between 3 and 11 edges were visible, meaning that to obtain an image of the full cube the beholder had to complete the three-dimensional form in the mind. In his quest, Lewitt discovered 122 ways of leaving the cube unfinished. Van Dodewaard set about recreating and photographing the piece seeking to produce an exact copy. But in the process things went wrong: some cubes went missing, others appeared double and previously unknown variants arose. With her “131 Variations” Fleur van Dodewaard demonstrates that the 122 variations listed and presented by Lewitt did not represent an exhaustive spectrum of all conceivable possibilities. Accordingly, the “failure” consciously introduces moments of arbitrariness, inconsistency and irrationality into this aleatory process to allow for an element of coincidence, thereby challenging mathematical logic.
Lending her creations a theatrical or performance-like quality, she uses irregular and found pieces of timber, which she paints with flesh tones veering into pink before she combines them to form sculptures. Unlike Lewitt’s, van Dodewaard’s cubes are handmade, some of them in fact lack in precise workmanship. Their bright colors and non-industrial manufacturing form a stark contrast to the minimalist look-and-feel of the original. “131 Variations” seeks to debate the issues of authenticity, appropriation and reproduction, while challenging the role of photography as a medium to represent reality. In her photographs the artist imparts her personal view of the world to beholders, who are invited to complete the actual shapes for themselves. Nonetheless, the message at the heart of the artwork is that the creative process is equally as important as the result, which cannot be compromised by failure.
Text: Graziella Kuhn
Fleur van Dodewaard (born1983), lives and works in Amsterdam. From 2002 to 2006 she completed a B.A. in Theatrical Studies at Amsterdam University. She continued her training by studying Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague for one year. In 2010 she received a B.A. in Fine Arts in Photography from Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Fine Arts, also in Amsterdam. Since 2011 she has had several solo and group exhibitions in Europe and in the USA. Her work is now on show in Switzerland for the first time.
Opening: Thursday, 6th March 2014, 18:00 - 20:00 - The artist will be present.
Hauser Gallery
Pflanzschulstrasse 17, Zurich
Open hours; from Wednesday to Friday 14 - 18, or by appointment
Free entrance