Lustwarande 2022. A taste of...
A picture says more than a thousand words. Yet here we are, devoting a thousand words to images. Art event Lustwarande is in fact about to begin and we cannot let that pass us by. From 26 June, you can enjoy three months of contemporary sculptures and special performances in the most beautiful forest of the Netherlands, the Oude Warande. We are looking ahead with artistic director Chris Driessen and artist Joris Roosen for a little preview.
Photography: Seye Cadmus
Who are you?
Joris: "My name is Joris Roosen. I am a visual artist and I am presenting a new performance at Lustwarande."
Chris: "I am Chris Driessen, artistic director of Lustwarande and I am curating the program."
What is Lustwarande?
Chris:"Lustwarande is a platform for contemporary sculpture. We show the state of affairs in the art world and limit ourselves to sculpture, that is our strength. We can honestly say that we are experts in that field. At Lustwarande you see artists who also exhibit at the Venice Biennale or The Whitney Biennial in New York.
Joris:"The special thing about Lustwarande is that it challenges you to experience art in a different way. It challenges you as a spectator to crawl out of your shell, out of your house, into nature. You arrive in the forest, and that is already overwhelming in itself, but then with those sculptures and perfomances there, that's what makes it so special. It brings people, art and nature together. That does something to me."
Lustwarande takes place from June 26 through October 2. On Sunday, June 26, is the opening of GODHEAD - Idols in Times of Crisis, this year's sculpture exhibition. In addition, on Sunday, July 10 and September 4, there are Brief Encounters where several artists present performances in the Oude Warande.
Archive image Lustwarande
What are the gems of Lustwarande 2022?
Chris:"I can't and don't want to make any statements about that: 'You love all your children equally', haha. I am looking forward to all the works and performances.
It is interesting though to talk about Joris' work Encounter/Reunion here. Since 2017 we have been doing Brief Encounters. Twice a year we present performances that last only a very short time, fifteen minutes, an hour, a minute and then they are gone."
Joris: "The Brief Encounter I made for this edition is about the revaluation of the physical encounter. When we were forced into isolation as a country, I really experienced how important physical contact is to me. I always give my grandmother three kisses and a hug, but at the beginning of the lockdown that was difficult. I was afraid that with my gesture of love I would make someone sick. I got an inhuman feeling, I became distant from myself and wanted to do something with that fear. Eventually this perfomance came out of that and I hope to offer hope and comfort to people with it."
Chris: "The interesting thing about Joris's work is that he is a visual artist, but very much leaning against fashion."
Joris: "My focus now is on masks and wearables. A while ago an idea in that area ignited in me and it has not left me since. Masks play a central role in this performance. These are inspired by flying deer, the dancers are dressed in costumes with the recognizable teeth of beetles. In the performance, these creatures go through the transition from nonhuman to human. To then present this among the trees in the Oude Warande, that's very special."
Joris Roosen is a visual artist. He graduated from St. Joost School of Art & Design. His work consists mainly of wearable objects, in particular masks, made with mostly second-hand waste textile which he embroiders by hand.
Archive image Lustwarande
Why should people not miss this edition?
Chris: "I think Lustwarande is very topical this year, and therefore important. Every four years there is a big edition of Lustwarande. In the intervening years there are smaller thematic editions. In this interim year, the theme is: idols. It was almost as if I was being prescient when we chose this theme, but I wasn't. It's so in the spirit of the times. Corona, Putin. I'm very curious to see what the response is going to be."
Joris: "I'm also really looking forward to the opening of the exhibition."
Chris: "This year we have a number of artists who have never exhibited in the Netherlands before. The American Gisela Colón is very interesting. She uses a visual language that appeals to everyone. She also makes the largest work in the exhibition. Furthermore, we have a very beautiful work by Kim Dacres, an African-American queer artist, which consists of rubber car and bicycle tires and metal parts of bicycles. We also have work by Russian artist Evgeny Antufiev. That took quite a bit of effort because he was not allowed out of the country. But fortunately we can exhibit an existing work of his through his gallery in Rome. An obelisk inspired by ancient art from Ukraine. By exhibiting this obelisk in the Lustwarande, Antufiev is not paying tribute to Russian culture, but to all cultures. And we are very proud of that."
Visits to Lustwarande are free, but visitors are invited to buy an exhibition guide and a map of the site. This is also recommended for the experience and to avoid getting lost in the maze of the Oude Warande.
Archive image Lustwarande
What makes Lustwarande special?
Joris: "The great thing about Lustwarande is that there are no thresholds, as there often are in a museum. It is in a park, you just walk right in."
Chris: "That's why we also reach a large audience. It's not just art experts and professionals who come, we also reach the masses. Young, old, highly educated, people with practical training, visitors from Tilburg, but also from the other side of the world. We see more and more non-white visitors coming, which I think is very important. Lustwarande is really for everyone."
Joris: "Even the little dog is allowed to come along."
Chris: "Oh yes, the little dog is allowed to come too."
Had a nice taste of Lustwarande and want to be there? Lustwarande takes place from June 26 to October 2 at the Oude Warande in Tilburg. Go to www.lustwarande.orgfor more information about the program.
Archive image Lustwarande
