18 Jan 2011

Lara Almarcegui, Otto Egberts, Jasper Niens, Aji V.N.; Dolf Henkes Award 2010 at TENT Rotterdam

TENT Rotterdam presents the work of four artists - Aji V.N., Lara Almarcegui, Otto Egberts and Jasper Niens - who have been nominated for the Dolf Henkes Award 2010. The Dolf Henkes Award is one of the major Dutch awards for the visual arts and was set up in 2004 to celebrate image defining Rotterdam artists. The prize of 20,000 euro is awarded biennially to an artist who made a decisive contribution to art in Rotterdam and the Netherlands. The winner of the Dolf Henkes Award 2010 will be announced on Thursday evening 10 February 2011.

The Indian born artist Aji V.N. has lived in Rotterdam for over fifteen years now and is internationally considered one of the most important emerging artists from India. His work was presented at the Moscow Biennale in 2010. He makes monumental drawings that are actively collected by museums as well as private collectors. His works are composed in subdued colours and sober compositions. Aji uses charcoal and water colours on coloured paper to develop his characteristic style. The themes vary from human figures to woods, deserts, seas and skies. Travelling between India and Rotterdam his drawings are not restricted to a particular place or culture.

Lara Almarcegui lives in Rotterdam. She regularly takes part in biennials and is a much sought-after artist-in-residence. Her fascination with spaces that have escaped attention of city planners and architects are central in her work. In TENT her work includes images of a wasteland in the port of Rotterdam that, due to Almarcegui's intervention, has remained undeveloped for a number of years. She is also presenting her 'Ruïnes in the Netherlands' project revealing the results of her investigation into dilapidated buildings in the Netherlands, the country that we know as perfectly well-kept.

Jasper Niens builds architectonic constructions in public spaces but he also works within the context of exhibition spaces. Installations with innumerable doors, a narrow corridor as entrance to the gallery booth at Art Basel Miami; Niens' work constantly challenges unspoken conventions regarding to the use of space. In TENT Niens built a new site-specific installation. A wooden partition a little over one metre high precisely follows the contours of the exhibition hall. Where the public has a full view of the space, the physical experience of shuffling between the two walls is oppressive.

Otto Egberts' drawings, paintings and installations give shape to his progressive doubt about human existence. In more than 25 years he has produced a consistent body of work, in which people's relationships with their surroundings take centre stage. According to Egberts, the meaning of space in a social and existential sense is not only a personal issue but also a philosophical one.

Dolf Henkes Award 2010 jury: Wim van Krimpen (chairman), Melvin Moti (artist), Saskia van Kampen (curator City collection at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen), Arno van Roosmalen (director at Stroom Den Haag), with the collaboration of Rob Birza (artist).


About TENT Rotterdam
TENT is a center for contemporary art that is focused on a discursive approach to Rotterdam art, be that exhibitions, discussions, screenings, publications and get-togethers. The 1000 m2 exhibition space is located in a characteristic former school building on Witte de Withstraat 50. TENT aims to meaningfully contribute to the artistic landscape within as well as beyond the borders of the Netherlands. A key aspect of this work is our commitment to our city, aiming at improving the visibility of the Rotterdam art scene.