Trophy Heads & Presence

Portraits by Meinbert Gozewijn van Soest & Mark Vincent Houston

29 Kas 2008
3 Oca 2009

RONMANDOS Amsterdam proudly presents two artists who approach the portrait genre in very different and idiosyncratic ways: Meinbert Gozewijn van Soest & Mark Vincent Houston. As the biggest credit crisis in recent memory causes havoc on the world economy, Meinbert Gozewijn van Soest will present for the first time at RONMANDOS gallery his controversial new large format drawings of monstrous CEO´s and grotesque big business leaders. By contrast, the American artist Mark Vincent Houston will transform the back section of the gallery with two contemplative photographic series as well as 2 mesmerising video installations.

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Pollination 1, 3 and 6, Presence 9 and 9, by Mark Vincent Houston, at Ronmandos . -

Meinbert Gozewijn van Soest’s (1964, Alkmaar, NE) series of drawings entitled ‘Trophy Heads’ was created from photos, downloaded at random via search terms such as ‘CEO’, ‘chairman’ and ‘president’. The works are not portraits of a person, but portraits of the photograph, of the image. The title ‘Trophy Heads’ refers to the tradition in some ancient cultures to keep safe the head of an old enemy or beloved ancestor, regarding it as an object with magical properties. It also refers to the term “head hunter”, someone employed to search for candidates with special qualities to fill specific executive roles.

Mark Vincent Houston's (1976, New York ) work focuses on the portrait genre in photography. The repetition of images in the series 'Presence' stimulates the viewer to look beyond preconceptions and look for the small details that gradually build up to a portrait. The photographs begin to refer to each other in a special way that lead to a quiet dialogue.

The exhibition is on display from 29.11.08 until 03.01.09. RONMANDOS Gallery welcomes you to the opening of this show on Saturday the 29th of November from 4 to 7 pm, where both artists will be present.

Visit the Ronmandos website for all information regarding opening hours.