Opening
March 9th, 5-7- PM
Personal Matters and Matters of Fact
For her solo exhibition in Playstation Dutch artist Hedwig Houben brings together three separate works that each in their own way embark on an attempt to understand and to define. In her video work ‘Personal Matters and Matters of Fact’ Houben in five scenes lays bare sculptures’ doubts, insecurities, possibilities and capabilities. A Rietveld chair, a sculptural self portrait and the artist herself engage in a conversation, trying to make sense of each other, of why they are there and how all of them came to be. “I guess I made you because you were in my head for such a long time. It’s more of a feeling I guess” utters the artist slightly tense. The chair does not accept such a random intuitive description and demands a solid conceptual framework. The self-portrait on the other hand seems kind of happy with the undefined and celebrates the insecurities that are inevitably connected to it. With each scene the conversation deepens. Houben delicately unravels the creative process and search for meaning: the autonomy of the artwork, artistic presentation, authenticity and the real, slowly unfold in a confusing and at times ridiculous word game. In the repetition of the scenes Houben attempts again and again, however never reaching a satisfying conclusion.
Hedwig Houben
Hedwig Houben (1983, Boxtel, NL) studied at St Joost in Breda and recently graduated from HISK in Gent. Her work has been shown in a.o. Nest, The Hague (NL); Kunstverein Hannover (DE); La Salle de Bains, Lyon (FR); STUK, Leuven (BE); Witte de With, Rotterdam (NL); TENT, Rotterdam (NL); Noord Brabants Museum, Den Bosch (NL).