︎︎︎STATEMENT

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           On the occasion of Ljubljana Art Weekend, R SPACE welcomes Dutch visual artist Bart Lunenburg, who will premier his work in Slovenia with the exhibition Ashes | Ashes. In his art practice he works with multiple media, his projects are often based on the observation of public space, especially architecture, but also the wider urban landscape and its cycles of transition, demolition and reconstruction. His practice is imbued by concepts related to architecture, such as spatiality and flatness, as well as transformation of volume in space, especially in the relation between the materiality of a particular artwork and the 'life' of that work in the medium of photography. In the process of researching architecture, the artist uses several media: he mainly works with scale models, which can then serve as the starting point for a sculpture, drawing, photograph or video - these can eventually be compiled into a book or spatial installation.

           The title of the exhibition at R SPACE cleverly alludes to the central, site-specific artwork in the gallery space; it is a two-piece wooden sculptural installation that functions as an independent artwork and at the same time provides the structural framework for the exhibition itself. The exhibition includes other smaller sculptures and photographic works that in different ways reflect the concept, design, form and material of the original oak structure. The exhibition is a continuation of The Healer series, in which the artist has analysed numerous historical examples of how architectural design and urban planning have contributed to the spread of epidemic disease, but also, conversely, how architecture has acted as a cure for disease. The exhibition explores, particularly through its design and format, the principles of (clean) air, ventilation and quarantine as preventative measures against infection, especially through the prism of medieval stories. These recount the purification of personal objects, clothing and even entire houses with smoke and fire, often with the aid of spices and herbs, which were burnt both on household windowsills and in large city fires. Ashes | Ashes is about protection from the plague in terms of personal health, but also about healing the dwellings, public buildings and public spaces of the medieval inner cities. The basic oak sculpture thus becomes a clear reference to the (fast-burning) wooden frame of a medieval house. The elements of wood, charcoal, fire, smoke and herbs are duplicated in different media, both literally and figuratively. By analysing such practices, the artist abstractly recreates a set of very specific circumstances, creating an altered experience of the gallery space.

︎︎︎ ABOUT THE ARTIST

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            Bart Lunenburg lives and works in Utrecht. He first graduated in photography at the HKU Utrecht University of the Arts and later in art history at the University of Amsterdam. He studied in Rotterdam at the Bcademie, an institute that helps recently graduated students navigate their way in the art world. He has participated in many group exhibitions, residencies, artist talks, has received numerous awards and scholarships, and in 2021 published a book This Creaking Floor and All the Ceilings Below. His multidisciplinary artistic practice (photography, video, drawing, sculpture, installation) deals with architecture, architectural memory, architectural history and heritage, combining these with his own observations and experiences.

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            Ob prvi ediciji Ljubljana Art Weekend bo R SPACE gostil nizozemskega vizualnega umetnika Barta Lunenburga, ki se bo v Sloveniji premierno predstavil z razstavo Ashes | Ashes. Njegova umetniška praksa je kompleksno večmedijska, njegov pristop k (verižni) rabi medijev pa izrazito celosten. Izhodišče njegovih projektov nemalokrat temelji na opazovanju javnega prostora, predvsem arhitekture pa tudi širše urbane krajine, njihovih ciklov tranzicij, rušenj in ponovne gradnje. Njegovo umetniško prakso prevevajo koncepti, povezani z arhitekturo, na primer prostorskosti in ploskovitosti ter transformacije volumnov v prostoru, še zlasti v relaciji med materialnostjo danega umetniškega dela in 'življenjem' taistega dela v mediju fotografije. V procesu raziskovanja arhitekture umetnik uporablja več medijev: najpogosteje dela s pomanjšanimi modeli različnih struktur in zgradb, ti pa so nadalje lahko izhodišče za skulpturo, risbo, fotografijo ali video, ki so naposled lahko zbrani v knjigi ali prostorski instalaciji.

            Naslov razstave v R SPACE pomenljivo aludira na osrednje, site-specific umetniško delo v galerijskem prostoru; gre za leseno prostorsko-kiparsko instalacijo v dveh kosih, ki samostojno funkcionira kot umetniško delo, hkrati pa priskrbi strukturno ogrodje za sàmo razstavo. Ta vključuje druge manjše skulpture in fotografska dela, v katerih se na različne načine zrcalijo koncept, zasnova, oblika in material izhodiščne hrastove strukture. Pričujoča razstava je nadaljevanje serije The Healer, v kateri je umetnik analiziral številne historične primere, kako sta oblikovanje arhitekture in urbanistično načrtovanje pripomogla k širjenju epidemičnih bolezni, pa tudi, kako je arhitektura funkcionirala kot zdravilo proti bolezni. V razstavi, zlasti z njenim oblikovanjem, umetnik raziskuje principe (čistega) zraka, ventilacije in karantene kot preventivnih ukrepov pred okužbo, predvsem skozi prizmo srednjeveških zgodb. Te govorijo o čiščenju osebnih predmetov, oblačil in celo celotnih hiš z dimom in ognjem, pri čemer so si ljudje pogosto pomagali z dišavnicami in začimbami, ki so jih zažigali tako na domačih okenskih policah kot tudi v velikih mestnih požarih. Ashes | Ashes govori o zaščiti pred kugo v povezavi z osebnim zdravjem ter zdravjem zasebnih domov, javnih stavb in javnih prostorov v srednjeveških mestnih središčih. Osnovna hrastova skulptura tako postane jasna referenca na (hitro goreče) leseno ogrodje srednjeveške hiše. Elementi lesa, oglja, ognja, dima in zelišč se v različnih medijih podvajajo tako dobesedno kot tudi v prenesenem pomenu. Z analizo tovrstnih praks umetnik abstraktno poustvarja neke specifične okoliščine, s tem pa ustvarja novo izkušnjo galerijskega prostora.

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           Bart Lunenburg (1995) živi in dela v Utrechtu. Na Univerzi umetnosti HKU Utrecht je sprva diplomiral iz fotografije, kasneje pa na Univerzi v Amsterdamu še iz umetnostne zgodovine. Študijsko se je izpopolnjeval v Rotterdamu na Bcademie, inštitutu, ki pomaga nedavno diplomiranim študentom navigirati pot v svetu umetnosti. Sodeloval je na mnogih skupinskih razstavah, rezidencah, artist talks, je prejemnik številnih nagrad in štipendij, v letu 2021 je izdal tudi knjigo This Creaking Floor and All the Ceilings Below. V svoji multidisciplinarni umetniški praksi (fotografija, video, risba, skulptura, instalacija) se ukvarja z arhitekturo, arhitekturnim spominom, arhitekturno zgodovino in dediščino, ki jih združi z lastnimi opažanji in izkušnjami.

︎︎︎INSTALATION VIEWS 

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #05 (thyme)
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
50 x 62,5 cm
Edition: 1/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #01
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
80 x 100 cm
Edition: 1/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #02 
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
80 x 100 cm
Edition: 1/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #03 
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
50 x 62,5 cm
Edition: 1/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #07 (juniper)
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
50 x 62,5 cm
Edition: 1/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #08
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
50 x 62,5 cm
Edition: 1/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #06 (bay laurel)
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
50 x 62,5 cm
Edition: 2/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #10 (sage)
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
28 x 35 cm
Edition: 3/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #09
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
28 x 35 cm
Edition: 5/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax and Chinese ink
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2022
The Healer #04 (thyme)
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
50 x 62,5 cm
Edition: 2/7 (+ 2 A.P.)
Oak frame treated with beeswax
70% art glass

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Bart Lunenburg, 2020
Ladder Study
Inkjet print on Canson RAG 310 Photo paper
60 x 90 cm
Edition: 10/10 (+ 2 A.P.)
Walnut frame with maple dowels, UV resistant museum glass