Tique | art space presents the exhibition Preposition, with two artists whose work moves between the photographic and the sculptural, each from the perspective of their own medium.
The Belgian photographer Ode de Kort is increasingly bringing the two dimensions of photography in the direction of scuptural forms, both in her photographic images and her sculptural installations.
The Dutch artist Martijn Grooten creates sculptures that are developed and presented in different forms: as photographic prints, in video and in installations.
Ode de Kort
Ode de Kort (b. 1992) lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium. She recently received her Master of Fine Arts in photography from the Royal Academy in Ghent.
Ode de Kort examines the tipping point between the photographic and the sculptural. Her interest is at this intersection point ‒ there where the overlaps occur, and photography becomes physical/sculptural. This research expresses itself in a continuous quest to stretch the photographic medium across its fixed four corners and sides, and to study the photographic image as matter/material.
Ode de Kort attempts to arrange a meeting between object, image, moment and balance. She pursues this equilibrium in the creating process, as well as in the spatial presentation of her works. The materials, weights and movements that are still in the image seek their way out into physical space.
The materials she uses are found in nature or on the streets. They are always basic materials: stone, wood, paper…. Their appeal derives from the fact that they refer to their own matter and shape, more than to their context or intent. De Kort’s images originate quickly and intuitively; they are translations of the moment. These objects work as a catalyst for a movement of thought. Materials follow one another’s possibilities and limits, whereby weight, size and shape generate a dialogue.
Martijn Grooten
Martijn Grooten (b. 1981) is an artist living and working in The Hague. He is active somewhere in between installation, photography, video and sculpture. His artistic practice revolves around a few core questions about the production of art, about images and the shifting meaning of cultural objects and language, in which materials play a central role. Another important aspect is the constant reconfiguration of works and objects in space, as an investigation into the exhibition as image. Temporality is key.
For Preposition, at Tique | Art Space, Martijn Grooten created an installation that consists of two clusters of works and carefully selected objects. One of these is in the front space and has a somewhat more formal character. It includes a rather large architectural model (or a rather small piece of furniture), combined with some grey porcelain cups. Another element is a photographic print on textile with a small wooden shelf, holding two earplugs and a piece of ceramics. Two additional works from his stlllf series are included, as well as a cheap, odd-coloured plastic stool.
The other part of the installation is at the back. It has more or less the same elements as those described above. Here too is a print on textile, hanging on a specially-made structure that echoes the model in the front space, as well as a work from the stlllf series, a porcelain cup and plastic stools. But here, the works and objects are mixed into the existing office space, making the coffee machine, the table, with its constantly changing contents, and even the people working here all components within the installation. As much as there is a separation between the two parts of the installation, there are also clear connections. This somewhat paradoxical fact can basically be said of all the works on show.
