Netherlands
Allie van Altena
The works of Allie van Altena have both a past and a future. A work can be finished and be perfectly suitable for presentation in a gallery or museum, but after that it is no problem for the work to be taken up again in the working process and thanks to (new) circumstances be made ready for a new future, a different life. If the traditional notion is that works of art are looking for eternal life, then Van Altena puts this notion into perspective by depriving the work of an existing status. If there is a requirement among professional restorers to bring works of art, that have already lived an eventful life, back to their original state, Van Altena's work give the lie to this way of thinking. There is no original state.
This table with a stack of appr. 300 sheets of paper is a sculptural experience. It is the heart of my performance. I stand by the table and turn the sheets of paper slowly. It is a kind of meditative repetition.There are images on both sides of the paper that the public can relate to. This performance provides a new way of looking at sculpture, because the sculpture is always evolving and never finished. Also it invites the public to look at drawing in a different way. The performanze is also about time. It takes at least 20 munutes to engage with the artwork. I hope this will public make realize to slow down...