camile

From the 3rd through the 5th of July, Gerrit Rietveld Academie presented the final works of this year's graduating students. Two hundred twenty artists displayed quite thought-provoking, aesthetically appealing work. The show featured a medley of art: installation, photography, computer graphics, sculpture, audio-visual, jewelry, and textile design were just some of the mediums on view. Art students and aficionados from all over Holland gathered to see what the fuss was about (more info).

I especially enjoyed the work of Matthias Tharang and Camile Smeets, and thought they well represented the hard work and extraordinary amount of dedication of those who graduated. Their inspiration, devotion, and commitment are inspirational and thus worth sharing.

Camile Smeets:

Het Blauwe Uur (The Blue Hour) 2009

Sculpture; ceramic

“[I] focus on the figures… [These figures] become a story and I just follow the story”

The Blue Hour: A brief period in nature when night falls. A blue light captivates this period, creating an experience of serenity and spiritual peace. Amidst this moment there is absolute silence; a silence so intense and passionate that one need to experience it first-hand in order to appreciate its beauty.

This silence belongs to Camile Smeets:

For me, this silence is very important…I tell a story but I’m not putting it into words…I’m telling it in a silent way.

Smeets’ hand-crafted sculptures express a visual language, largely based on intuition, fantasy, and dreams; elements in which she considers to be missing in reality. It is about the existential pursuit for the unknown; an inner, very mysterious world. Her inspiration is instinctive, deeply motivated by the subconscious: This is perhaps one of the most interesting characteristics related to her collection. Referred to as the float off period, Smeets describes how she acquires insight:

…when you’re quiet and you have a moment to yourself…moment before falling into a deep sleep- it gets black and [I] see figures…[I] focus on the figures…[these figures] become a story and I just follow the story…

It is these mythological figures that are presented in Smeets’ collection. In Unbearable Silence (2009), both mystery and fantasy coalesce with one another. The catfish, an otherworldly, mysterious creature. The woman, holds him for the world to see.

Closer examination of the sculpture reveals this creature as an instinctual guide, yearning for recognition:

…the fish is helping her to stand up because it wants to be seen in this world…she is presenting this old ancient wise animal to the world…she got up something forgotten and is showing it as a tribute

Smeets fervently draws a comparison between the catfish and a dragon, an imaginary creature solely existing in fairytales, further emphasizing her passion for fantasy.

Smeets’ collection invites us to exist in a world unseen, inexperienced by all. Blue Hour valiantly provokes imagination unobstructed by truth.

by Athena Newton in artslant