Thursday 16 April (all day)
This is a room dedicated to all artists. This room offers space to exhibit your artwork, whichever form it might take. We will be showing drawings, paintings, music, selected photography and poems.
Caspar van der Heijden
“Carpe noctem” ~ seize the night
With this piece I would like to reclaim the space in my head, occupied by anxieties as a result from the quarantined life
Edita Pelantova
These lemmas are what I’ve been keeping myself occupied with during the times of the pandemic. I would like to contribute these to your collection as objects that will spark a reconsideration of what art is and reclaim beauty as a more complex idea.
Deniz Hakman
Carla Rodriguez-Villa
It is not perfect, but singing helps me reclaim the freedom that I feel like having lost during these hard times. I think it is also greatly symbolized through the song itself and its lyrics.
Cynthia María Guerra García
Reclaiming our creativity and the resources around
We have been making toy and games with recycled material.
We are bombarded with brand names, franchise toys, disposable toy, expensive toys when we can come up with game, have fun making a toy or game even before we start playing with it!
We are making puzzles and then exchanging them instead of buying more.
This is the last one we made.
Sharing Books Via Storytelling
I have always wanted to do a vlog storytelling but either I was to busy, I was self conscious about how I look or wondered if it added any value. We live in a country where access to books and particularly children’s books is limited and with the cost of a new children’s book at 5% of the minimum salary many kids are left out. Libraries are almost none existent.
So I decided we would start doing videos reading stories to share with friends.
This happened:
When I worked at the ombudsman office I started a small children’s library and one of my fellow coworkers used to check them out for her nephew. There was one that was a favorite of his: El día que los crayones renunciaron. Now his dad got sick with COVID and got taken to the hospital while his whole family was quarantined. I talked to my friend and asked her if there was any thing I could do, she said you already have. My nephew was unconsolable and we finally got him to calm down by listening to you reading his favorite book! This is the book
I think it is as good a time as any to reclaim our creativity and passion in order to share it and put it to service to others overcoming any self doubt.
Marijn van der Staay
Quarantine work
Esther De Paula Garcia
Note from the ACP team: Esther is a student-to-come at EUC and she shared her work with us. Looking forward to meeting you next year!
Lieke Johanna van der Pol
Gina Ryan
AN ODE TO THE SHADOWS OF BERLIN
The three images which I titled ‘AN ODE TO THE SHADOWS OF BERLIN’ are all about reclaiming purely for their location: Berlin. How the citizens of Berlin have quite literally reclaimed their city after the Second World War and the fall of the Berlin wall, shows the immense resilience and strength of their community.
In the Name of Growth
The second piece I would like to submit is a song I wrote for the EUC course ‘the Climate Crisis’ over two years ago, called ‘In the Name of Growth’. Even though musically I would change quite a lot about the song now, writing this song really was a way for me to reclaim the academic world as I submitted this song instead of a final essay.
Megan Rothwell
Corona Rocks
So we were at the house and got markers for rocks. So we decided to paint rocks. When we started we realized it would be fun for us to leave these rocks in the summer house after we left so that the next people to move in could read them (mind you right now these summer houses are almost fully booked because their are families in quarantine in them). So we made rocks with our flags and a brief description of it and a rock that describes how we were in this house, 12 international students during corona.
Nina Pippilotta Vacková
These film photographs were taken on my travels around Taiwan earlier this year. Looking back, they are a reminder of the ability to travel and in a sense a sign of freedom, both of which are being limited at the moment. I hope they take the spectator on a journey and safely place them back in Rotterdam on the top of the iconic Erasmusbrug overlooking the city.
Perihaan Khan
Act of God
This work was originally displayed in an exhibition titled “You think you are yourself but there are other persons in you” by John Barth. Movement and stillness are combined in this work quite literally by projecting an animated continuous line drawing onto a painting. An “Act of God” is often meant to describe a birth or creation, this work depicts a birth of sorts as a head emerges from an open ribcage. Despite the expressive style in the painting, the force of the animated head moving forward emphasizes the stillness of the body. The animation nearly blends into the work and surprises viewers as it moves, emphasizing the duality.
Human Hide
This sculpture was displayed in an exhibition titled “You think you are yourself but there are other persons in you” a quote by John Barth. The sculpture was placed in the center of the exhibition, however since the exterior was completely black, viewers didn’t notice it until they circled around. The black exterior is meant to blend into the black exhibition space until viewers circle the work. The interior of this sculpture is made of pieces of canvas torn apart and placed back together creating a fractured inside skin. Originally, the pieces of canvas were from a painting I made which I considered a failure. I purposefully made the sculpture concave giving viewers a window into the inside skin. It’s rough texture acts as an armor for insecurities represented by the fractured painting, which although appears to be one painting at first seems broken upon further observation.
Metamorphosis
This work was originally displayed in an exhibition titled “You think you are yourself but there are other persons in you” by John Barth. These continuous line drawings are connected to one another by string which combine seamlessly with the drawing, leading viewers through the narrative. Although it is subtle, the figure slowly transforms from man to woman which is shown through the features of the clothing. These features remain expressive and subtle to portray fluidity. The strings slowly become fewer to represent the letting go of the previous identity defined by femininity.
Other Persons
The work is meant to be displayed as a large grid with small drawings hooked up randomly across the grid. It was originally displayed in an exhibition titled “You think you are yourself but there are other persons in you.”, a quote by John Barth. Viewers were invited to rearrange the drawings however they wanted. This work is displayed so that viewers may alter the narrative as they see fit in order to demonstrate how others have an impact on how we perceive and present ourselves. The drawings are close up to maintain anonymity, allowing for fluidity of gender and other characteristics defined by appearance, leaving it up to the viewers. The drawings can be moved and exchanged by the audience to tell several narratives affected by several people, leaving little evidence of my own influence as the artist. By the end of the three-day exhibition, the work appeared completely different.
Pudenda
This work is an installation piece that was originally displayed at KONTRA #2 in November. It was built into the corner of the exhibition space and is three dimensional. It is made up of silhouettes constructed with wire and tulle which are layered to create the shape of a vulva from a distance. Standing within the sculpture, it is clearer that the individual pieces of the tunnel are silhouettes, a full body rather than one part. With each layer, the silhouettes become more and more deformed, lending to the final image of the female genitalia. By imposing oneself onto another person, one can easily dehumanize and tear apart their identity. The female body is often manipulated to become no more than its parts, dehumanizing one’s identity through social norms and outdated policies. Their body becomes an instrument of shame. For women, their worth is picked apart to nothing more than their genitalia. For those with gender dysphoria, the way others perceive them boils down to simple body parts. In both cases, the body holds more weight in the perception of oneself than it should. The tunnel-like shape of Pudenda invites viewers to step inside, an action which is almost intrusive, as the structure resembles the female genitalia. Essentially, the work has been violated.
Isabel Bruijstens
It’s a strange time
A time in which,
doors are shut and curtains are closed
A time in which,
screaming thoughts are silenced by but one worry
A time in which,
the ones we love dearest are for that reason left alone
A time in which,
it is the dogs that walk the people
A time in which,
the most social of creatures hides in private circles
A time in which,
the clock seems to have stopped ticking.
But has it?
It’s a time in which,
the green of the trees slowly fills the streets
A time in which,
the days are blessed with an extra ray of light
A time in which,
colourful flowers decorate the grass in our gardens
and soften the ground,
on which children can play
In the midst of silence
and seeming discontinuity
It’s a time in which,
spring
nevertheless awakens
Rebecca Rehorst
I make nature paintings, especially the sea is my great love.
Instagram: @rmrpaintings
Sebastiaan de Ranitz
Hey everyone, I’m Sebas de Ranitz, and I’ve been learning modular synthesis for the past two years now. To try and explain modular synthesizers would take up too much text, but synthesizers are all about creating and manipulating sounds electronically. This used to be an incredibly expensive hobby, and it still is! To paraphrase Hans Zimmer: ‘Was it gonna be the car, or was it going to be a synthesizer? I still don’t drive!’. But with computers becoming ever more powerful, software is emerging that can replicate those physical synthesizers, and VCV Rack might just be the best software to discover this weird way of making music. My music is an attempt to show that you don’t need massive amounts of money to invest in synthesizers: just grab a laptop, put on your headphones, and make something. Send me a message if you want to learn more, and although my music isn’t for everyone, I hope you enjoy! Relax, close your eyes, sit comfortably, and go with the flow!
Clouds on a Sunny Day
Marmoreal
Note from the artist: This track uses lots of left-right panning, which creates interesting effects. Headphones very highly recommended!
Sam Wullems
hey hello, my name is Sam. The pictures included were all shot with a Canon AE-1 film camera. In regards to reclaiming: taking pictures for me is just a way to help me see and remember more of what’s going on in my life over the years. So, in a way, I guess I am reclaiming my history?
Anyways, the last work included is a collaborative work with a photography friend. The shots are his, I edited and collaged it together.
1 – Biking ~ Chefchaouen, January 2020
2 – Phantom joint ~ Rotterdam Oost, February 2020
3 – Priorititties ~ Marbella, July, 2019
4 – “Sports cage” ~ Rotterdam West, February, 2020
5 – Samething on the horizon ~ Rotterdam, September 2019
Renata Feliciangeli Niella
Niña Voladora
Me dicen niña voladora
Que esperan que me devuelva el tiempo
Que soy víctima de las olas
Que siempre estoy yendo y casi nunca vuelvo
Voy luchando contra la gravedad del cielo
Husos horarios de aduana
Y amores que suelto
Se me nubla la visión con vapores del tiempo
Voy dejando atrás, una ciudad desigual
Entonces piso tierra nueva
Muero y revivo y cambio el tejido
Y cambio los pies a mi ritmo
No se puede anclar al mar
No se puede acompañar al viento
Es solo con andar
Que aprendés a volar
Me piden un bálsamo de olvido
Los tatuajes como solo compromiso
Mil pasaportes temporales
Con nacionalidades no hay que entercarse
Voy buscando un hogar dentro mío
Voy volando hoy
Voy volando hoy
Voy volando sin decir
Adiós
Flying girl
They call me the flying girl
They tell me they wait for time
To return with me in its glide
They say I am a victim of the tides
That I’m always going and never coming back
I battle the gravity of the sky
Time zones as borderland
Lovers I let dissipate
While my vision clouds with vapors of haze
I’m leaving behind, an uneven countryside
Then I step on new earth
I die and revive, I re-sow filaments
Because of the rhythm I change my step
You cannot anchor the sea
You cannot escort the wind
It’s just by wandering
That you end up flying
They ask me for a balm of oblivion
Tattoos as only companions
Owner of temporary passports
Nationalities I abandon
I’m looking for a home inside me
I’m flying away
I’m flying away
I’m flying without saying
Goodbyes
Desiree Stockermans
I’m submitting these because they juxtapose perspectives and interpretations of the Arab world.
To all of these, I have personal memories and lessons attached. I do not wish to disclose them to you as I think that that is a part of the magic, not knowing what it means and just admiring.
I hope some of these are useful for the festival and they make someone feel something that might drive them to that dangerous dangerous place we call the middle east.
There are so many beautiful stories and traditions around the world that are being distorted by fear. I believe we should hear them and let them show us what it’s really like.
s.a.1 – Red dunes and a woman (my mom) wearing the abaya.
s.a.2 – This is in Bahrain, and my blonde brother cuts the view with the palm trees on the left and the upcoming city on the right.
s.a.3 – This is the entrance to a mosque toilet where Muslims perform Wudu (cleansing parts of the body) before praying.
s.a.4 – This is some men in thawbs just talking while a (probably underpaid) worker is inside the building.
s.a.5 – The tip of a minaret peeking from behind some rocks.
s.a. 6 – This is also in Bahrain. The contrast between the daughter’s umbrella and her black abaya.
Zuzana Králiková
These are all older works, most of them fueled by the daily frustrations I encountered as a young woman living in Poland and Slovakia. In a sense I feel like this quarantine is an opportunity for me to reclaim my identity and not feel ashamed for expressing it via my art.
Lisa Rahmann & Maxymilian Omlo
American boy cover (Estelle and Kanye West)
Max and I usually play together whenever we find the time, but we picked something new because we were both interested in an acoustic version of this song. We hope you like it!
Lakhena Park
Hello,I’m a student at euc and here is some of my work, I hope you enjoy it!
Big thanks to all of the reclaimers <3
Invite your friends to this event:
Suggested events
Cinema Room: Golden Time / The House of Small Cubes
TUESDAY 14 April (11:30-15:00) During this event “Golden Time” and “The House of Small Cubes” will be screened. These are two short animation films which
Living Zoom session
Friday 17 April (18:30) Join us for the final event of the week: the very first Living Zoom concert! We have a setlist of musicians
Music through cultures
friday 17 April (all day) Hi again! Here we will post several blog posts exploring various lesser known musical traditions from all across the globe.
