20 years of existence
dal 25/1/2010 al 25/1/2010
Segnalato da
25/1/2010
20 years of existence
Witte de With, Rotterdam
On the occasion of the anniversary, the center for contemporary art presents an evening of festivities, with conversations between the former directors and their special guests, all of whom have special relation to Witte de With. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion, drinks and a sparkling party.
On January 26, 2010 Witte de With, center for contemporary art, will celebrate its 20 years of existence. On the occasion of our anniversary, we present an evening of festivities, with conversations between the former directors and their special guests, all of whom have special relation to Witte de With. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion, drinks and a sparkling party.
Tuesday 26 January, from 6 p.m. until late, free entry
Witte de With was established in 1990 with the mission of introducing contemporary art and theory in the context of the City of Rotterdam as well as the Netherlands as a whole. Throughout the years, under the inspiring leadership of successive directors Chris Dercon (1990-1995), Bartomeu Mari (1996-2001), Catherine David (2002-2004), Hans Maarten van den Brink (interim, 2005), and currently Nicolaus Schafhausen (since 2006) Witte de With has fulfilled this task through varying, ever challenging ways.
In its lifetime, Witte de With has grown into a prominent international player, a pioneer in the field of contemporary art. Over 300 artists have found a path to the public through Witte de With, amongst them Daniel Buren, Stan Douglas, Dan Graham, Atelier van Lieshout and Luc Tuymans, to name but a few. The introduction of promising artists to the international scene has always been special emphasis within our program. For example, the 1994 group exhibition WATT contributed to the later recognition of some of the Young British Artists, such as Sarah Lucas and Douglas Gordon. More recent examples include Keren Cytter, Geoffrey Farmer, Liam Gillick, Tris Vonna-Michell, Chloe Piene and Ian Wallace.
Witte de With regularly shows work of artists from beyond Western Europe, for example during the long term project Contemporary Arab Representations (2003-2004) and soon, in the framework of its current leitmotiv Morality, an exhibition about the Polish punk movement of the '70s and '80s.
Witte de With has garnered international attention as a publisher of art books, from theoretical readers to unique artists' editions. The institution has also left its mark on its immediate urban surroundings, with remarkable interventions; such as the permanent billboard Melly Shum Hates Her Job by Ken Lum and temporary projects by Lawrence Weiner, the Guerrilla Girls and Billy Apple, among others.
Witte de With's international reputation manifests itself through our participation in various large scale art manifestations; such as the Venice Biennial and our upcoming presentation in the Dutch Cultural Center at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, an exhibition titled Nether Land.
We invite artists, visitors, colleagues, supporters, Friends and Patrons to join us on this occasion, to celebrate Witte de With's achievements to date, and to look together towards the future.
January 26, 2010
Program:
6 p.m. Reception with drinks & snacks
6.30 p.m. Introduction by Nicolaus Schafhausen
6.40-7 p.m. Conversation I: Chris Dercon, Willem Oorebeek & Klaus Richter. Moderator: Zoe Gray
7.05-7.25 p.m. Conversation II: Bartomeu Mari, Tony Brown, Craigie Horsfield, Hermann Pitz. Moderator: Renske Janssen
7.30-7.50 p.m. Conversation III: Catherine David, Nasrin Tabatabai & Babak Afrassiabi. Moderator: Monika Szewczyk
7.55-8.15 p.m. Conversation IV: Hans Maarten van den Brink, Sven Luetticken & Roger Buergel. Moderator: Juan Gaitan
8.15-8.30 p.m. Break
8.30-9.15 p.m. Round table discussion with all former directors. Moderator: Angela Bulloch
9.15-9.30 p.m. Break
10.00- ... Music by DJ Nemawashi
Directors of Witte de With
Chris Dercon (director Witte de With 1990-1995) is now director of the Haus der Kunst in Munchen.
Bartomeu Mari (director Witte de With 1996-2001) is now director of the MACBA in Barcelona.
Catherine David (director Witte de With 2002-2004) is now head curator of the Direction des musees de France (French Museum board).
Hans Maarten van den Brink (interim director Witte de With, 2005) is now director of the Dutch Mediafonds (for the stimulus of Dutch Cultural Media productions).
Nicolaus Schafhausen (current director Witte de With) was previously director of the Frankfurter Kunstverein.
For more information, please contact Anne-Claire Schmitz at press@wdw.nl or call +31 (0)10 411 0144.
Witte de With, Center for Contemporary Art
Witte de Withstraat 50, 3012 BR Rotterdam
Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.