Galerie Bart is proud to open its second garden exhibition Sentient Shapes with sculptures by Britte Koolen (1994, NL).
When creating her sculptures, Britte restricts herself to basic geometrical shapes: the circle, the rectangle and the square. She is also driven by minimalist principles such as reuse, order and reduction. Her use of colour is also steadfast, as she remains faithful to the same shades of red, yellow, purple and black, which regularly recur in her installations and wall sculptures.
When Britte starts working on a new sculpture, the location where it will ultimately be exhibited is crucial. The space around the work is just as important as the space it occupies. That is why she visits the location before starting the creation process and explores how the sculpture, as well as she herself, can relate to the space.
Precision is key in her work. Although the sculptures appear to be very technical, Britte says she is not actually very ‘handy’. The material and the equipment she uses in her studio are something she has mastered without any technical expertise. Discovering how to manipulate her favourite material wood in order to attain the right form is an important part of her creative process. She usually removes any imperfections that occur while working, but sometimes she chooses to intensify them, transforming them into formal elements in their own right.
The sculptures in the garden that come together to form the installation have been chosen deliberately. The vivid red and the purple are in sharp contrast with the light green grass and the dark green of the ivy. The position of the sculptures has also been well considered, and keeps the viewer captive in a moment of decision or indecision. If the work is moved just a fraction, the experience of the viewer is changed. This is why visitors are encouraged to step out onto the grass and walk around the work, so they not only deliberately experience the position of the work, but also their own position within the space.
• More information about Britte Koolen.
• DUAL CORPUS is on view together with Transit by Henk Wildschut and DUAL CORPUS by Isabelle Wenzel.
Events
12.05.2022 / 17:00 – 21:00: Opening.
Join us for the festive opening night during Amsterdam Art Week.
