Art has always been strengthened, inspired and connected to Nature in many ways. In the spirit of Art and Nature, Rademakers Gallery presents five artists: Tomáš Libertíny, Joana Schneider, Florentijn de Boer, REM Atelier and Johannes Langkamp. At Art Rotterdam, Rademakers Gallery always likes to present a young talent, this year it is Johannes Langkamp. He will have the opportunity to share the stage with established artists such as Libertíny, Schneider, De Boer and REM Atelier. Just like in nature, Rademakers Gallery focuses on growth and stimulation.In addition, in the "Projections" section Rademakers Gallery is participating with the immersive digital Art installations by Studio Irma.
Tomáš Libertíny (1979) collaborates with nature and lets bees create his sculptures. He highlights the strength of the natural material by working with beeswax. What many people don't know is that beeswax is one of the most durable and strong materials in the world. This is what initially motivated Libertíny to work with bees. Later, he literally and figuratively zoomed in on the bees themselves. And through photography he portrays the contrast between vulnerability and strength by portraying the hard-working bee, maker of the sustainable beeswax, as a small helpless creature.
Joana Schneider (1990) also incorporates nature into her work, both in subject matter and material. Her masks, tapestries and sculptures are based on natural forms, plants and creatures. In her latest collections she refers to algae, waves, orchids, trees, gardens and stones. She also works in a sustainable way; she constructs her works from found fishing ropes later wrapped in shiny PET wire. This PET wire was developed in the Textile Museum Tilburg and is made from plastic (PET) bottles. During Art Rotterdam Schneider will be mainly seen in the exhibition ‘Prospects’ by the Mondriaan Fund as she is supported by the fund this year. Nevertheless, she will be also featured in the Rademakers Gallery with smaller sculptural work.
Florentijn de Boer (1993) is visibly inspired by flora and fauna. Both human and animal aspects can be found in her paintings, which are located on the dividing line between abstract and figurative art. In her own words: “Each individual work is like a snapshot: a frozen moment in a story that then develops further, with characters that change, or as a glimpse into a fantastic landscape; or like a window to another world, a universe that stands alone.” De Boer tries to capture this movement, transformation and transience of form on her canvas.
REM Atelier, led by Remty Elenga and Remco van Halderen, creates objects and installations that playfully question the parameters of everyday objects, functionality and decor. A returning element within their work is the observation and experience of materiality, often lead by an interest in organic structures and the process of organically shaped objects versus artificial representation. In our booth, REM Atelier presents its functional sculpture ‘Surfaced Cabinet’. The lines in the wood and the wavy surface of the ceramic tiles bring a graphic sense to the piece which is loosely inspired by shapes you can find in nature when different organic substances come together and surprisingly take form as a sculpture in itself.
Johannes Langkamp (1985) presents his work as a young talent for the first time at Art Rotterdam. Langkamp zooms in even deeper on nature, until it almost touches physics. In his investigative way of working, he goes deeper into concepts such as movement, optical viewing and seeks out the tension between image and reality. He does this through video, photography and kinetic installations.