HOTSPOT | STEDELIJK MUSEUM (BAD THOUGHTS)

Last weekend I went to see the Bad Thoughts exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum. The Stedelijk is by far my favorite museum, as they exhibit a range of my favorite modern artists. Also their temporary exhibitions are often inspirational and feel like a breath of fresh air in the (unfortunately still) old school museum world. As I am the lucky owner of a Museum card - It is like a subscription for museums and I recommend you all to take one. - a Stedelijk flash visit of an hour or two on a Saturday is a great idea. I had already heard an read quite a lot about the private art collection of the Sanders couple, and as I suspected it to be bold and full of statements I was really excited to go. 

Ger van Elk

During my holiday in Greece, I read the art book Verf: a collection of interviews with painters about their relation to and use of materials. One of the artists I was quite intrigued with was Ger van Elk. His conceptual way of thinking in criticizing existing artworks got me quite irritated while reading the interview. But as those things go, he was one of the artists I kept thinking about the most. And after browsing the internet for his works, I was happy to bump into a whole room of Ger van Elks at the Stedelijk Museum! What I like about van Elk's work is that his use of material is subordinate to the concept. That means that his works sometimes consist of photographs, paints and even video. Depending on the message he wants to send. That makes it not the usual art oeuvre, but so interesting. 

Christopher Wool

I also really liked the work of Christopher Wool. His bold statements in black and white make you wonder if you just got threatened or warned. - Hole in your head... - His experiments with stencils and stamps are simple, yet effective and grand. The works are like a tribute to the potential power and modern feel of black and white pieces. 

If you have not visited the exhibition or the Stedelijk Museum in general yet, please go and tell me what you think. Would love to hear your opinion on this collection and the building itself.

Happy Tuesday!

-xoxo-

JP

Images by the Stedelijk Museum.