Prospects – Mondriaan Fund shows Talent
1-4 July | Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam
During Art Rotterdam 2021, the Mondriaan Fund is presenting starting artists for the ninth consecutive year on and around the Van Nelle Factory with Prospects – Mondriaan Fund Shows Talent. From 1 to 4 July, the exhibition will show the work of 74 artists. All were recipients of Mondriaan Fund grants in 2019 in order to help start their careers. As in 2020, Johan Gustavsson is curator.
Spread over several spaces on the Van Nelle site, work by new and emerging artists will be on display. Works range from a large painting by Sam Andrea to a sculptural object by Isabelle Andriesse or a tapestry by Afra Eisma, from photographs by Gilleam Trapenberg to a film by Eline Kersten and a performance by Mireille Tap. In the outdoor space, Lin Gerritse’s moving sound installation will attract attention, as will Rowan van As’s self-made taxi, Iliada Charalambous’s chair project, Lucas Sloot’s electricity pylon and Olle Stjerne’s ephemeral objects.
As Eelco van der Lingen, director of the Mondriaan Fund, explains,
‘It is important to give young artists a good start, space to develop new insights, and a platform on which to present them. For many of the 74 participating artists, Prospects is their first big podium. They will be showing their work at Art Rotterdam, one of the highlights of the Dutch art calendar.’
Curator Johan Gustavsson is co-director of 1646, in The Hague, board member of The Naked and Page Not Found and lecturer at the KABK Royal Academy of Art. His experiences with the previous edition will be useful in putting together a strong exhibition that must be realised with due regard for the COVID-19 restrictions. Gustavsson will be supported by Tom Postma Design.
The Mondriaan Fund organizes the annual Prospects exhibition to give an extra impulse to the visibility of starting artists. Having them all together at Art Rotterdam gives art professionals and collectors, as well as a broad group of interested visitors, the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of these promising artists.
The exhibition is also an excellent opportunity to show what can be and is being achieved thanks to grants from the Mondriaan Fund. Artist Start grants are for artists who have been working professionally for between one to four years. The grants can be used for anything related to the development of the work and the artistic practice, such as research, materials, equipment and projects in the Netherlands or abroad.
For the accompanying catalogue, Roos van der Lint interviewed a number of participants about their work and the adjustments they have been forced to make because of the covid-19 pandemic.