At the new Amsterdam art fair NAP+, three artists join forces for a spectacular installation. Tim Breukers, Niko Riedinger and Tom Volkaert make diverse works, but find each other in a fascination for the materiality of their artworks. They use innovative materials like epoxy and oxidised metal, or explore the versatility of traditional materials like porcelain and bronze. Their method of making is an important part of the end result. Often grand and compelling are their creations and not infrequently with a good dose of humour.
A combination of existing and new works can be seen at the fair. Within the artworks, there has been collaboration. Clay pots formed by the artists and the gallery owner were finished by Tim Breukers and will be displayed at the fair, as souvenirs of this gesammtkunstwerk.
About the artists
Through sculpture, installation and collage, Tim Breukers (NL, 1985) tries to make new meaningful connections between material, a situation and himself. Important roles are played by scale, humour, narrative and sculptural techniques versus clumsy solutions. He believes that art helps balance our lives and that our lives help art become human and true.
Niko Riedinger (DE, 1986) toys with the interplay between appropriation and reference in his expressionist paintings and sculptures. By questioning the universal validity and historical tenability of a symbol, he resists systems in which the recognition and understanding of a sign is a rite of passage. In fiery paint strokes and hysterical compositions, he claims control over the signifier. He tries to open it up to subjective interpretations by breaking through the armour of absolute reproducibility.
Tom Volkaert (BE, 1989) combines refined artistic craftsmanship and the strategic use of unpredictability that comes into play when working with enamelled ceramics, epoxy or oxidised metal. Many of his works are like totems: symbolic and organic artefacts that present alien life in the cosmos and put us in touch with something radically different from us. But his sculptures are also a totem for his own life and memories, a way to navigate and come to terms with his own life.
