Ontdek de collectie
Kunstmuseum Den Haag has a treasure chamber of over 160.000 pieces of art. Here we work on making the highlights from this collection available online.
Heringa/Van Kalsbeek
Spring Tide
Liet Heringa (b. 1966) and Maarten van Kalsbeek (b. 1962) have been collaborating for 25 years under the name Heringa/Van Kalsbeek. Their sculptures contain a strong element of spectacle, and there is always a suggestion of movement. ‘“What on earth has happened here?” you can hear people think when they see our work’, the pair say of their sculptures, which they make from steel, synthetic resin, rope and other materials. ‘We constantly push the boundaries of materials, and the possibilities are endless.’
Spring Tide, which the pair have made specially for Kunstmuseum Den Haag’s Projects Gallery, is based on the three Splendor wall sculptures that were recently donated to the museum. They in turn were based on a 13th-century Japanese sculpture of a king-guardian.
The dynamism in Heringa/Van Kalsbeek’s work sometimes seems to create chaos, but there is always a clear structure in the proliferating forms. This structure comes from the use of colour, or from repetition, or from a compelling form. At the same time, the dynamism causes visual surprises. Although the work has its own pronounced visual language, it is also rooted in certain influences, both from nature and from all kinds of cultures, with a pronounced leaning towards blossoming and decay.
Alongside Splendor, this exhibition includes a number of other wall sculptures, which occupy a place somewhere between collage, sculpture, drawing and painting. There are also a number of freestanding sculptures, all with a plinth or backdrop. This theatrical setting perfectly suits the baroque style of Heringa/Van Kalsbeek. Their sculptures can often be viewed from multiple sides, so they are displayed in the exhibition is such a way that the back is also visible.
Publication
On the occasion of the exhibition, the richly illustrated, bilingual (NL/ENG) book Heringa/Van Kalsbeek - Area of Impact, with texts by Benno Tempel, Edo Dijksterhuis and Kiene Brillenburg Wurth, will be published. Graphic design: Rutger Fuchs. Price: €24.90, ISBN/EAN: 978-90-811976-0-1.
