De zuil in oorspronkelijke situatie, foto: Veronique Hoedemakers
Reading Hans van Houwelingen
Reading about his work, monuments, and the public space
Datue: Wednesday 23 January 2008, 20:00 hrs
Location: Stroom Den Haag, Hogewal 1-9, The Hague
The full recording of this lecture can be viewed on DVD in the library of Stroom.
Artist Hans van Houwelingen is known for his versatile and critical perspective on art in public space and society, his provocative stance towards cultural politics, and the many sometimes controversial projects he has realized in public space. Hans van Houwelingen will discuss the background of his work and his aspirations this evening. Particular attention will be given to the necessity, significance, and possibilities of the contemporary monument.
In various situations, Van Houwelingen has updated the concept of 'the monument' through interventions that are sometimes distressing, often humorous, and at times disruptive. With De Zuil van Lely in Lelystad, for example, Hans van Houwelingen sparked a heated debate among local authorities and citizens. The project attracted considerable attention from the national press, radio, and television. In 2002, Van Houwelingen took the bronze statue of engineer Lely, sculpted by Piet Esser in 1983, from the city and placed it on a towering column of his own design. However, Esser did not give permission for the statue to remain on the column. The Lely monument by Mari Andriessen, which had been standing on the Afsluitdijk since 1954, provided a fantastic follow-up scenario. This sculpture was also removed from its pedestal. The Mari Andriessen Foundation approved a second casting of the statue. Since then, the old monument has stood imperiously, surveying the polder culture from De Zuil van Lely.
Hans van Houwelingen (1957, Harlingen) lives and works in Amsterdam. He studied at the ABK Minerva in Groningen (1978-1984) and the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (1985-1988). He regularly participates in exhibitions both at home and abroad, realizes art projects with or without commissions, and is a publicist. The monograph STIFF, Hans van Houwelingen vs. Public Art (Artimo, 2004) provides a comprehensive overview of his works.
nu monument
After the workshop NabeeldWillem II, a temporary monument for the kingdom (summer 2007), Hans van Houwelingen’s lecture serves as an introduction to the program Now Monument. This program is based on the question of the (im)possibility of a contemporary monument. As an institution that focuses on art and public space, Stroom continuously subjects the relationship between developments in contemporary art, society, and the status of public space to a critical examination. Can contemporary art serve a function in creating and maintaining a collective consciousness; in remembering, commemorating, or even glorifying individuals or events? Can it unite populations? Can it truly give meaning to public space?
These and other questions are central to the Stroom program nu monument, which also includes an educational project with Nabeeld Willem, the workshop/exhibition Werkplaats Thorbecke, the exhibition Since We Last Spoke About Monuments (guest curator Mihnea Mircan, Romania), lectures, and a roundtable discussion (fall 2008).