My collector's class (MFAC) went a week ago into the old part of Amsterdam "De Jordaan". In that neighbourhood are dozens of galleries. Hidden behind dirty windows and a closed door is Gallery "native art". we were there to try to broaden our horizon in art. The gallery is loaded with hundreds to thousands pieces of ethnic art. They mostly come from Africa and Indonesia. As in all art works also in ethnic art the focus is on what is considered important. Felix de Rooy broke it down in three concepts. Rejuvenation often shown as a snake or lizard because these animals can renew there skin. Second: female fertility shown as women with large breasts, bellies, thighs and very clear vagina's. Third: male fertility usually shown as large penises.
We, the students, got the assignment to look for an object we liked most and then try to explain what we liked about it.
In the picture below Rob Aussen (the old man) is holding a ceremonial scepter I liked that object most because of the simple forms and the similarity. Really ethnic art is not my cup of tea.
The man with the cap is Felix de Roy. I am standing in the back wearing a red shirt.
There were also more extreme works of art like the bird/man in the following picture. That is too much ethnic art for me. It was chosen by Anita Frank who took the pictures.
After this we went to Gallery 23, which is in an open clean and spacey location. Completely the opposite. gallery 23 is focused on modern African art. This looked more like western art although the African influences were visible.
For example a chair form Mozambique completely built out of parts of Kalashnikov rifles. After the civil war there was an abundance of these.
An other artist used pieces of enamel form broken down commercial pictures. It somehow looked with a twist. That twist is Africa.
After this visit we had lunch and everyone went his or her way. I went back to the Jordaan to visit some galleries.
There I saw the in the Ververs gallery the exhibition from Liesje Reijskens. The works are orginal and good. But they somehow didn't end up on my want list.But maybe they will later. Liesje is a 24 year old Belgium photographer. She takes pictures from girls her own age and makes surrealistic or fairy tale like photo's.
Below a surrealistic one. Those are the ones I liked most.
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