24 kleurplaten at Billytown
Guillaume Bijl, Pim Blokker, Melle de Boer, Kim David Bots, Prosper Desmet, Afra Eisma, Johan Gustavsson, Paul de Jong, Maja Klaassens, Frank Koolen, Joost Krijnen, Marius Lut, Jos van Merendonk, Maje Mellin & Enric Fort Ballester, Bernice Nauta, Robbert Pauwels, Machteld Rullens, Maaike Schoorel, Lieven Segers, Dieuwke Spaans, Thomas Swinkels, Derk Thijs, Evi Vingerling, Henk Visch, Riette Wanders and Marieke van’t Zet
Billytown
Helena Van
Doeverenplantsoen 3
2512ZB, The Hague, Netherlands
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| Maje Mellin & Enric Fort Ballester |
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| Evi Vingerling |
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| Marieke van 't Zet |
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| Jos van Merendonk |
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| Afra Eisma |
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| Bernice Nauta |
When a child repeats information, they are levelling up, proving their capacity to imitate a higher, more developed being. The coloring page trains this kind of competence, motor skills are refined; color inside the lines and you’re doing good. But in the end, the phrase ‘coloring inside the lines’ is used for an uptight person, who doesn’t dare express their individuality beyond the confines of expectations. Not surprisingly, coloring books for adults are criticized as void of creativity. Popularity has a singularly curdling effect.
“What color am I ?”
Experiment subject Alex the parrot (1976-2007), repeated the words he was taught to tick our boxes of intelligence. However, he also used them to manipulate the situation to get what he wanted, or to show he was fed up: “Wanna go back,” was one of his more uncomfortable demands. The symbolism of the bird as a creature that moves between worlds bearing divine messages does not exactly apply to parrots, who regurgitate messages we teach them to say. With Alex, it didn’t feel like regurgitation, it felt like repetition with difference.
One of the characteristics of print and editions is that the repetition creates a kind of equality, while difference suggests hierarchies. Masterpiece worship then falls away, and the image itself can be both exaggerated and emptied of meaning. In this exhibition, the image that is the coloring page could have been anything. What is interesting is the mechanism of interpretation; the different ways artists diverge from the same, single line. This mechanism is what got Alex on TV, and what got the New York Times to publish his last words: “You be good, see you tomorrow, I love you.”
Maja Klaassens 2018
Phographs by Jhoeko
Please note all images courtesy by the artists and Billytown
All photographs by Jhoeko
24 KLEURPLATEN
GUILLAUME BIJL, PIM BLOKKER,
MELLE DE BOER, KIM DAVID
BOTS, PROSPER DESMET, AFRA
EISMA, JOHAN GUSTAVSSON,
PAUL DE JONG, MAJA KLAAS
-
SENS, FRANK KOOLEN, JOOST
KRIJNEN, MARIUS LUT, JOS VAN
MERENDONK, MAJE MELLIN
& ENRIC FORT BALLESTER,
BERNICE NAUTA, ROBBERT
PAUWELS, MACHTELD RULLENS,
MAAIKE SCHOOREL, LIEVEN
SEGERS, DIEUWKE SPAANS,
THOMAS SWINKELS, DERK
THIJS, EVI VINGERLING, HENK
VISCH, RIETTE WANDERS EN
MARIEKE VAN ’T ZET
24 KLEURPLATEN
GUILLAUME BIJL, PIM BLOKKER,
MELLE DE BOER, KIM DAVID
BOTS, PROSPER DESMET, AFRA
EISMA, JOHAN GUSTAVSSON,
PAUL DE JONG, MAJA KLAAS
-
SENS, FRANK KOOLEN, JOOST
KRIJNEN, MARIUS LUT, JOS VAN
MERENDONK, MAJE MELLIN
& ENRIC FORT BALLESTER,
BERNICE NAUTA, ROBBERT
PAUWELS, MACHTELD RULLENS,
MAAIKE SCHOOREL, LIEVEN
SEGERS, DIEUWKE SPAANS,
THOMAS SWINKELS, DERK
THIJS, EVI VINGERLING, HENK
VISCH, RIETTE WANDERS EN
MARIEKE VAN ’T ZET
When a child repeats information, they are
leveling up, proving their capacity to imitate a
higher, more developed being. The coloring
page trains this kind of competence, motor
skills are refined; color inside the lines and
you’re doing good. But in the end, the phrase
‘coloring inside the lines’ is used for an uptight
person, who doesn’t dare express their
individuality beyond the confines of expecta
-
tions. Not surprisingly, coloring books for adults
are criticized as void of creativity. Popularity
has a singularly curdling effect.
“What color am I ?”
Experiment subject Alex the parrot (1976-
2007), repeated the words he was taught to tick
our boxes of intelligence. However he also
used them to manipulate the situation to get
what he wanted, or to show he was fed up:
“Wanna go back,” was one of his more
uncomfortable demands. The symbolism of the
bird as a creature that moves between worlds
bearing divine messages does not exactly
apply to parrots, who regurgitate messages we
teach them to say. With Alex, it didn’t feel like
regurgitation, it felt like repetition with differ
-
ence.
One of the characteristics of print and editions
is that the repetition creates a kind of equality,
while difference suggests hierarchies. Master
-
piece worship then falls away, and the image
itself can be both exaggerated and emptied of
meaning. In this exhibition, the image that is
the coloring page could have been anything.
What is interesting is the mechanism of
interpretation; the different ways artists diverge
from the same, single line. This mechanism is
what got Alex on TV, and what got the New
York Times to publish his last words:“You be
good, see you tomorrow, I love you.”
Maja Klaassens 2018
When a child repeats information, they are
leveling up, proving their capacity to imitate a
higher, more developed being. The coloring
page trains this kind of competence, motor
skills are refined; color inside the lines and
you’re doing good. But in the end, the phrase
‘coloring inside the lines’ is used for an uptight
person, who doesn’t dare express their
individuality beyond the confines of expecta
-
tions. Not surprisingly, coloring books for adults
are criticized as void of creativity. Popularity
has a singularly curdling effect.
“What color am I ?”
Experiment subject Alex the parrot (1976-
2007), repeated the words he was taught to tick
our boxes of intelligence. However he also
used them to manipulate the situation to get
what he wanted, or to show he was fed up:
“Wanna go back,” was one of his more
uncomfortable demands. The symbolism of the
bird as a creature that moves between worlds
bearing divine messages does not exactly
apply to parrots, who regurgitate messages we
teach them to say. With Alex, it didn’t feel like
regurgitation, it felt like repetition with differ
-
ence.
One of the characteristics of print and editions
is that the repetition creates a kind of equality,
while difference suggests hierarchies. Master
-
piece worship then falls away, and the image
itself can be both exaggerated and emptied of
meaning. In this exhibition, the image that is
the coloring page could have been anything.
What is interesting is the mechanism of
interpretation; the different ways artists diverge
from the same, single line. This mechanism is
what got Alex on TV, and what got the New
York Times to publish his last words:“You be
good, see you tomorrow, I love you.”
Maja Klaassens 2018
When a child repeats information, they are
leveling up, proving their capacity to imitate a
higher, more developed being. The coloring
page trains this kind of competence, motor
skills are refined; color inside the lines and
you’re doing good. But in the end, the phrase
‘coloring inside the lines’ is used for an uptight
person, who doesn’t dare express their
individuality beyond the confines of expecta
-
tions. Not surprisingly, coloring books for adults
are criticized as void of creativity. Popularity
has a singularly curdling effect.
“What color am I ?”
Experiment subject Alex the parrot (1976-
2007), repeated the words he was taught to tick
our boxes of intelligence. However he also
used them to manipulate the situation to get
what he wanted, or to show he was fed up:
“Wanna go back,” was one of his more
uncomfortable demands. The symbolism of the
bird as a creature that moves between worlds
bearing divine messages does not exactly
apply to parrots, who regurgitate messages we
teach them to say. With Alex, it didn’t feel like
regurgitation, it felt like repetition with differ
-
ence.
One of the characteristics of print and editions
is that the repetition creates a kind of equality,
while difference suggests hierarchies. Master
-
piece worship then falls away, and the image
itself can be both exaggerated and emptied of
meaning. In this exhibition, the image that is
the coloring page could have been anything.
What is interesting is the mechanism of
interpretation; the different ways artists diverge
from the same, single line. This mechanism is
what got Alex on TV, and what got the New
York Times to publish his last words:“You be
good, see you tomorrow, I love you.”
Maja Klaassens 2018