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30/7/2014

Krijn de Koning

Turner Contemporary, Margate

Turner Contemporary presents Dwelling (Margate / Folkestone), the first public commission in England by Dutch artist Krijn de Koning. This new temporary artwork has been produced by Turner Contemporary for its Summer of Colour festival and Folkestone Triennial 2014, and is the first time Turner Contemporary and the Creative Foundation have collaborated on an artist commission.

The artwork, a colourful architectural labyrinthine walkway, is conceived and sited in two different outdoor locations in Kent: Turner Contemporary’s South Terrace adjacent to the gallery and within a Victorian grotto on Folkestone seafront. The work appears simultaneously in both locations this summer as part of Turner Contemporary’s Summer of Colour festival and Lookout, the third Folkestone Triennial.

Krijn de Koning (b.1963, Amsterdam) builds labyrinthine architectural structures that are in dialogue with the environment in which they are placed. The artist’s site specific works – part architecture, part sculpture – challenge the viewer, offering new possibilities to navigate and experience the space the works inhabit. Often featuring bright colours and typically constructed in simple materials, his playful structures connect inside and outside spaces and invite direct interaction on the part of the audience. His interventions reference the traditions of 20th century art, such as geometric abstraction and Minimalism, but are equally engaged with architecture and 3-dimensional space.

At Turner Contemporary Dwelling, (Margate /Folkestone) will be inserted between the external walls of the gallery and the site boundary walls, in a public area that is used as a walkway for visitors and the general public. A shallow concrete plinth forms the base of De Koning’s sculpture, which will radiate out from this point, extending towards and pushing against the glass-clad gallery and site boundary walls. Described by de Koning as a ‘dwelling’, the structure will combine a framework of painted wooden beams with a series of voids suggestive of architectural features such as doors, walls and windows to create a space to be walked through, into and around.

De Koning’s interest in this particular area is as an ‘in between’ space on the gallery site where a number of architectural features conjoin and collide in what he refers to as a ‘strange encounter’. In a reversal of many of his previous works, which are inserted into ruined or disused sites, the structure will disrupt the apparent purity of a newly designed environment. Rendered primarily in concrete and glass, the ‘undefined space’ will be built from recyclable timber and plywood and painted in brightly coloured gloss paint.

Half of the sculpture at Folkestone replicates half of the sculpture at Turner Contemporary. However, this part will be constructed to appear as though it is inserted into the cave walls, seeming partly buried within them and only partially visible as a result. De Koning is interested in the impossibility of making the experience of the work the same in both sites, playing with the notion of repetition and seriality in conceptual art practice.

The different characters and uses of the two sites add another layer of interpretation to the work. What both sites have in common is an attempt at providing some sort of protection or shelter: the fake Victorian caves or grottoes on the one hand, versus the hard-edged contemporary architecture of Turner Contemporary on the other. Both sites lend themselves to this notion of a ‘dwelling’, which in turn plays with the traditional idea of seaside pavilions and beach huts, a common feature of the UK coast.

Dwelling (Margate / Folkestone) has a strong sense of place, having been conceived for two different locations in Kent. Both sites have a strong connection through their coastal locations and history as popular destinations for leisure and tourism during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Krijn de Koning's Dwelling is produced by Turner Contemporary for Folkestone Triennial 2014 and the Summer of Colour, with a grant from the Creative Foundation and with the support of Cultural Destinations and the Mondriaan Fonds.

About Turner Contemporary
Taking inspiration from JMW Turner, Turner Contemporary is a contemporary arts organisation based in Margate, Kent that aims to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of historical and contemporary art with a dynamic and diverse international programme of exhibitions and events.

About The Creative Foundation
The Creative Foundation is an independent visionary arts charity dedicated to enabling the regeneration of Folkestone through creative activity. Working with the people of Folkestone, partners and other stakeholders, the Creative Foundation is transforming the town making it a better place to live, work, visit and study. Established in 2002 the Creative Foundation has a remarkable record of success having already transformed the old town of Folkestone, around the scenic harbour, into a Creative Quarter populated by artists and home to creative industries and a university outpost. Three hundred jobs have been created and ninety buildings have been restored in the Creative Quarter and the Quarterhouse, a performance venue for music, theatre, dance and comedy has been built. The area has been animated by two internationally acclaimed visual art Triennials; Folkestone Artworks is a significant and permanent contemporary art collection, a full performance programme and an annual Book Festival. www.creativefoundation.org.uk

About Folkestone Triennial
Folkestone Triennial is one of the most ambitious exhibitions of contemporary art outside the gallery context presented in the UK. It takes place in the seaside town of Folkestone, the coast of England nearest to continental Europe. Artists of international standing are invited to use the town as their ‘canvas’, utilising public spaces to create striking new art that reflects issues affecting both the town and the wider world. Artists commissioned to take part in previous triennials include Cornelia Parker, Tracey Emin, Jeremy Deller, Martin Creed and Richard Wilson. www.folkestonetriennial.org.uk
Inaugurated in 2008, the Triennial takes place every three years and is one of the 5 key projects of the Creative Foundation.

About Krijn de Koning
Dutch artist Krijn de Koning (b.1963) is best known for building labyrinthine architectural structures that are in dialogue with the environment in which they are placed. De Koning’s playful structures, which reference geometric abstraction and Minimalism, connect inside and outside spaces and invite direct interaction on the part of the audience. Although he has often made work for conventional gallery spaces, de Koning is also drawn to ‘ruined’ environments, such as wastelands and abandoned funfairs. Other locations in which his work has been sited include churches, a customs office, an abandoned school and the Sculpture Court at Edinburgh College of Art.

De Koning’s work forms part of international collections such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the FRAC Bretagne. Major installations and exhibitions include a collaborative work for the National Ballet in 2014 and the Edinburgh Arts Festival in 2013. De Koning was also winner of the 2007 Sikkens Award.

About Summer of Colour
This summer, Margate is transformed into a festival of colour! Feel the joy of being by the sea in a colourful explosion of dance, performance, theatre, art and activity in the town and surrounding area of Thanet. Inspired by Piet Mondrian, whose love of colour changed painting. A project initiated by Turner Contemporary, working with partners across Margate, Thanet and East Kent to bring people together through a celebration of colour. From photos to comments to full event listings visit summerofcolour.org | @SummerofColour | #summerofcolour | facebook.com/summer-of-colour | Pintrest.com/summer-of-colour

Image credit: Krijn de Koning, 'Work for ‘Call of the mall (inside)’, Hoog Catherijne shopping mall, Utrecht (NL) 2013. Courtesy the artist

Monique Kent
Press Manager
Turner Contemporary
mkent@turnercontemporary.org
01843 233019

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