Organizing the non-obvious II
Bas van den Hurk
20th March - 24th April, 2010
Rod Barton, London EC1

Bas van den Hurk's works are framed by the argument that image-based and abstract contemporary painting has reached the end of it's 'logical conclusion', where images and abstractions can no longer support any meaning.  Van den Hurk explores the role and nature of this 'living death' by claiming that all painting today is, and can only be a representation.  By doing so he raises questions such as:

What is a representation? 
What is left of it? 
What is left to work with?

Van den Hurk achieves his representational style by manipulating and re-working the clichés of contemporary techniques and approaches to painting today; a monochrome palette, the use of ephemera and found objects, abstract mark-making and collage techniques.  At times Van den Hurk repeatedly layers the paint, at others he scrapes it to form fine veils across fabric, linen and paper. The tone of his works varies from serious, ugly and morbid to absurdist, witty and light-hearted.

Once completed, Van den Hurk combines his various works in the making and presentation of the exhibition itself.  He then exhibits the results as site-specific installations that question the value of individual paintings, the combination of works and the relation towards the space and the spectator.

By asking that “I want to know what painting is, and I don’t want to know”, Van den Hurk explicitly lays bare the model of representation, not by demonstrating the ‘what’ of representation, but by showing representation itself.  This spectacle of representation, presented through individual (and combined) works creates a gap in the experience of the viewer, a caesura - an open moment in which the observer is thrown back upon himself creating a space for reflection and consideration. 

Van den Hurk co-runs one of the most important art-blogs in the Netherlands www.whatspace.nl
And sometimes operates as a curator for this blog.
Following the opening of his solo exhibition he curates an after party:

Whatbar # 8
THE NON-OBVIOUS-BAR
The Boadicea Ltd
292-294 St John street
London
8.30 – 11.00pm

Art is often viewed with more or less fixed criteria. Whatspace wants to explore the boundaries of these criteria, conceptually and formally.  Not with the purpose of blowing them up.  We don’t want to transgress the boundaries and get into the hybrid forms of art where there are no criteria or where criteria can be simply put aside. We seek freedom within the limitations given.

Within these limitations nothing is obvious.

We want to explore questions around this non-obvious in a specific context.

An artistic battlefield in which we are personally involved.

We want to question: how can we deal with autonomy within a given context? How can we make work that tells something about the potential in our world; that deals with the idea of making your own decisions, winning your freedom, being responsible for this yourself?

In short : we’re going to lock ourselves up to create our own reality, careless!

with:

Hester Scheurwater (NL)
Emma van der Put (NL)
Michiel Ceulers (B)
Sarah Smolders (B)
Markus Vater (UK)
Koen Delaere (NL)
Jeremy Willett (UK)
Alistair McClymont (UK)
Vincent Koreman (NL)
Marije de Wit (NL)
Babette Kleijn (NL)
Rozemarijn Westerink (NL)
CAM DEAS (UK)
James Blackshaw (UK)

Bas van den Hurk, from left to right:

1. Untitled, 2010, 50x70 cm, fabric and foamboard
2. Untitled, 2010, 50x70 cm, oil on canvas
3. Untitled, 2010, 30x30 cm, oil on canvas