What is your occupation now?
I am an independent artist and researcher who operates on different levels when it comes to art making or making art happen. I am the founder of Upominki (2012), a non-profit artist-run project space in Rotterdam. Upominki is dedicated to art that manifests through exhibitions, long-term research projects and collaborations with others; symposiums, performative or discursive events. In my practice, I often explore different curatorial strategies where the concepts of the gift and hospitality play an important role.
What expertise did you gain at WdKA?
I guess what I’ve learned the most from the art school is to be open and welcoming to others and their ideas; to be able to work together and collaborate. Back when I was a student at the Academy, in order to make something happen, we’d have to improvise and take advantage of a given situation. Our actions would very often be regarded as illegal and against certain rules, whereas - in our opinion - they were nothing else but a claim of our freedom and autonomy, which is exactly what the artists always do.
What is the future of your profession in your opinion?
We live in the era of hybrid arts where the technology’s forwardness is unstoppable. The division of labour and what comes along or the specialisation in a certain creative field no longer has any use. I wish to be able to keep up with all that is happening in (and outside) the field while still sharing and exchanging with others.
You never leave your house without…?
That’s difficult. I either don’t leave my house as Upominki is located on the ground floor of our family home or if I do, then I usually forget something. What I forget mostly is my water bottle.
There is plenty to explore in Rotterdam
Any words of advice to future students?
Don’t be stuck within the walls of the Academy. Go out (exchange maybe). Otherwise, meet people and see places where things are being done. There is plenty to explore in Rotterdam.
Name your favourite recent project.
My favourite recent project took place in Copenhagen last October. The Mothernists II: ‘Who Cares for The 21st Century?’ a project by Lise Haller Baggesen and Deirdre M. Donoghue. The second iteration of The Mothernists, a transatlantic summit & art exhibition held in The Netherlands in June 2015, which brought together the work and thought of practising international artists and art historians for the cross-pollination of art, philosophy, and maternal theory, practice, and experience. The Mothernists (2015) exhibition in Rotterdam was hosted by Upominki.
The works above were commissioned by the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, in the framework of "Deze tentoonstelling valt buiten de verantwoordelijkheid van de directie van het museum" ("This Exhibition Falls Outside the Responsibility of the Director of the Museum"), as a part of Project Rotterdam exhibition.
Visit Upominki's website to learn more about past and upcoming projects.
