In the shelves above the bars: Artists work in horeca
The exhibition can be viewed in Amare until 24 June
Exhibition concept
In the shelves above the bars: Artists work in horeca brings together young artists based in The Hague, who met working in the horeca team at Amare. Organised and curated by Clara Sharell and Emily Stevenhagen, who also present work in the show, six up-and-coming artists display their paintings, photographs, and more in the shelves behind the bars around the building.
The exhibition aims to showcase the creative background of people who serve the public everyday, within the framework of the building where they met, and spend much of their time. They were inspired by conversations they had during slow moments in shifts, working behind bars together, waiting for people to collect their coats. They noticed the ways some of their practices overlapped, and how they approach their work/art balances. Just as it is necessary for many young artists to work two jobs, young artists often don't have studios and work in their bedrooms.
Two jobs/two people.
Through this, using space that is already there, on the cultural hub of the city, this exhibition highlights the true reality of many young artists' combined work lives.
Project descriptions
Anna Masiukiewicz
I am from Poland and study at the KABK. Photography is a way for me to talk about hard subjects, experiences that taught me something important in my life and topics that should have more awareness in the public eye. The project My friend Ana is about my personal story with eating disorders. The photographs are double exposure self-portraits where I depict my anorexia as a sort of of Barbie figure. A demon that is always there in my mind influencing my life, even if I am considered 'recovered'. Eating disorders are not a "weight" problem but a mental fight people suffering have to go through almost everyday until the rest of their lives.
Thomas van Poppel
As a photography student at the KABK, I work with photography, videography, graphic design and music. My work revolves around stories I think are necessary to talk about, mainly related to internet and social media addiction, general well being and mental problems of my generation. My project The storm I'm in is about a character searching for something it once had but can't feel anymore. Lost in a lonely world trying to find the past.
Emily Stevenhagen
Emily is a painter, film maker, performance and installation artist. Her practice grows out of figurative painting, exploring memory, and the everyday. It touches upon vulnerabilities and in-between states. The things we might all share but never speak of. The beauty in the everyday moment: pick the penny off the floor, observe the neighbours argue from your window, drink your coffee, feed the sheep blades of grass through the fence, eat a döner. She presents a new series of oil paintings in this exhibition, titled We'll be back before you miss us. Emily completed her bachelor in fine art at Oxford University, UK, and her master in artistic research at the Royal Academy of The Hague.
Dax Niesten
Graduated fro the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (2022), Dax now works as a multidisciplinary artist based in The Hague. Painting, music, or animation, it doesn't really matter, there's always a story to tell depiciting the human condition in small window frames surrounded by colourful scenery. These miniature stories may appear soft and sweet but bear a gloomy, darker side underneath. A present, but untouchable part that keeps us aware of possible danger, a lovely hint of worry prevents us from dozing off.
Noa Weijers
I'm a Dutch artist in my last year of the fine arts & design teacher training at the WDKA, Rotterdam. For my graduation project I'm doing research on creating art assignments that don't lean on already acquired skills. This way i want to make art education more inclusive. My abstract paintings show bright colours and different textures but it's mostly about the compositions. They are for me a form of self expression and they give me the ability to really feel free in the process of art making.
Clara Sharell
Clara is an image-based artist and currently graduating from the KABK. Her work investigates the interplay between personal family history and broader societal contexts, with a focus on collective and cultural memory. Her projects use a variety of mediums including photography, film, writing, and textile elements. The project My present is more than I remember is a research project into intergenerational connections and the webs of relationships that shape our lives. It explores the links between photography, memory, and writing, and dives into the coexistence of past, present, and future.
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