Fine Art

ABiotic Factors

Curator: Marion von Osten

Participants: Chao Wang, Dinos Milonas, Elena Pietrini Sanchez, Haoran Kang, Susan Tyler Jenkins, Tereza Telúchová, and Zhengqing Li. 

Opening: June 23 17.00 – 19.00

Exhibition: June 24 – July 9, Wed – Sun 12.00 – 18.00

BAK, basis voor actuele kunst. Lange Nieuwstraat 4, Utrecht 

ABiotic Factors 

Water on asphalt mirroring the sky, the prism in a drop of oil, a smuggled tree, a network of waterways, slimy drops crawling along a metal fence, an eco-machine pumps liquids. The urban landscape is equally biological, social, built and geophysical. Cities are ecosystems, not just in a metaphorical sense but actually inhabited by subnature, human and non-human animals, toxic components, machines, electricity, gas pipes and telephone cables, and informed by climate conditions, traffic organization, public and private zones, and social interactions. The nature-culture of contemporary urban societies is the point of departure for this year’s international Master students exhibition at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst in Utrecht.

Participants: Anna Ioannidi, Yumemi Kobayashi, Minsung Park, Uzine Park, Ika Putranto, Heekyung Ryu, Clara Turchi, Alejandro Vasquez, You-Na Wang, Audrey Wang, Yinan Wang and Gayane Yerkanyan Curator: Christina Li

After teaching the MA Fine Art Exhibition project at MaHKU for five years lecturer Mika Hannula has set down his thoughts on teaching interventions in Public Space in an article. Download the complete article in pdf

Try Teaching This: The Pedagogical Practice of Interventions in Public Space

Pedagogy. Oh my, oh my. This is, I believe, that one thing that most of us can agree upon. An agreement that may not be universal, but nevertheless: pedagogy is vexing, it is problematic, and it is not fun. In short, it is boring. Bloody boring.

Why? Because too often it takes the shape of a clear cut and inflexible sender-receiver model with the former high above, the latter down below – and little or no interaction in-between. Therefore, as an activity, it becomes stale and static. It delivers but does not wait for the rebound. It is a one-way street from which hardly any returns, rearrangements or revisions emerge. 

Let's Get Physical - Interventions In and Through the City takes its motive and aim from the continuously changing and evolving cityscape of the city of Utrecht. The pressure is up and so should the pleasure of dealing with our physical surroundings be. Through interventions in both private spheres and public domains, the exhibition addresses the urgent need to find relevant strategies. Not fast, loud, and superficial ones following the logic of the spectacle, but ones generating responses: clever and elegant, beautiful and intelligent.

Kunstvlaai: Festival of Independents is a multi-disciplinary arts festival, which—ever since its inception in 1997—has been the largest non-commercial exhibition of Visual Arts in the Netherlands. The festival is a platform for independent art institutions, art schools and artist-led initiatives to present themselves through live arts, exhibitions, film screenings, archival presentations, lectures and workshops.