29-07-2021
Together and apart, living and working
Working with artists and compiling exhibitions always provides energy and food for thought. One of the most memorable moments is always when we hang the work. That’s when it becomes an exhibition. This time, we went on a studio visit over a month ago to see the work of Toon Laurense and Maartje Frenken. They live with their family in a rural location and alongside their home they have built one building with two studios. They live together and work apart, each in their own studio in the same building. Man and wife, different personalities have grown together over the years, experienced everything together and yet so different.
Left: Maartje Frenken, ‘Ranonkels’ and right: Toon Laurense, ‘JP meets PM’
When we started hanging the work, this was the most important moment for me; will we be able to do the works justice? To fully exhibit Maartje and Toon as individual artists but also, and perhaps especially, to show and feel their togetherness.
During our studio visit, we had already considered also showing older work so that the visitor can see it in context and understand the artist. Maartje mentioned that most gallery owners actually wanted to show the newer pieces because they sell better. I don’t know if that’s the case for us, but we often choose to show the work in a wider context. Now the work is hanging and the result is that the exhibition makes the lives and work of Toon and Maartje visible and tangible.
The exhibition ‘WITH YOU’ is on display until 3 October.
This post is also available in: NL
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