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lennart lahuis

Lennart Lahuis’ first solo exhibition in the 2018 Capital of Culture

Piket Art Prize winner Lennart Lahuis (Painting 2015) has his first solo exhibition in the Netherlands – in two museums at the same time, no less! From 8 December 2018 until 24 March 2019 Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden presents the exhibition Lennart Lahuis: Land Slides. Other works from this series, as well as objects from his series of wax works can be seen during the same period in the exhibition Lennart Lahuis: Constant Escapement at the Fries Museum also in Leeuwarden, the 2018 European Capital of Culture .

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The 2018 presentation of the Piket Art Prizes: a festive jubilee!

The fifth presentation of the Piket Art Prizes took place on Monday 26 November. The first jubilee – something special to celebrate! Which is why the foyer of the Theater aan het Spui was decorated with balloons in Piket colours. Cees Debets, director of Het Nationale Theater, welcomed the more than 250 invited guests, wishing the nominees good luck. The whole excited company then went to the auditorium for the presentation ceremony.

‘You have been noticed’

Presenter Paula Udondek opened the ceremony by stressing the importance of every nominee. “You are already someone of stature in your field, because you have been noticed. Every one of you will be in the limelight tonight.’’ Louise de Blécourt, director of the Mr F.H. Piket Foundation, remarked that The Hague appeals to artists. “The Hague is not only the city for dance, but also increasingly for drama and visual arts. I was struck by the fact that more and more people choose to come and study at our Royal Academy of Art. They don’t go to Amsterdam. Is this a new trend?’’

The success of former nominees

De Blécourt also noticed that many former nominees still contribute to our city’s artistic climate. “Some initiatives developed into fully-grown companies and art projects, for instance Karel van Laere’s Stichting Largo, Youri Jongenelen’s Pop-up Dance, Nik van den Berg’s band Niko, Firma Mes, and the collective Thomas, Sacha & Jos. The city of The Hague may count itself lucky with so many initiatives and prospects for the arts, and especially with young artists. Artists somehow seem able to look into the future. In this way, they make an essential contribution to an innovative, mind-expanding, dynamic cityscape.’’

The first-jubilee book

Robert van Asten, alderman for culture, received the very first copy of the jubilee book about the first five years of Piket Art Prizes. He stressed the importance of the Royal Academy of Art and the Royal Conservatory. “We truly enjoy having these artists and their work here.’’

Jubilee budget

Taco Hovius, chairman of the board of the Mr F.H. Piket Foundation, explained that Mr Piket was thoroughly convinced of the importance of the arts and especially of young artists, and wished to extend his support beyond his own existence. This is still the aim of the Foundation, and it is for this reason that it applied for and obtained the special fiscal status known as ANBI. “This means favourable fiscal conditions for those who would like to donate to the Foundation, so please do not hesitate. To quote Francis Bacon: ‘Money is like manure, it’s only good if you spread it around.’” And a festive occasion means a treat: the sum of 9.000 Euros will be set aside as a special jubilee contribution towards creative collaboration between (former) nominees.

The winners of 2018

 

Painting: Eden Latham
The jury said they had greatly enjoyed looking for this year’s nominees. In the words of Suzanne Swarts (Voorlinden Museum): “We went to galleries, studios and exhibitions, and also visited the Royal Academy’s annual graduation show to spot new talent and talk to them, because, yes, The Hague is the place to be for the arts.” Maarten Demmink (Demiak) added: “We wanted to give the prize to the person we thought would really live up to expectations.” The award went to Eden Latham, who not only thanked the jury and the Mr F.H. Piket Foundation, but also STROOM and the The Hague city council. “A breeding ground such as Trixie is very important to me. Here is where the The Hague cultural climate receives true stimulus.’’

After the ceremony Eden Latham told us the prize came totally unexpected, because of the diversity of her work. “At first, I was in shock when I heard my name. I hadn’t prepared anything so I completely forgot to thank Mr Piket for the prize. I would like to do that now.’’ Latham will, for one thing, use her cheque to get her driving licence. “I need a driving licence in the US. I want to organize a group exhibition in Kentucky. I have been there before and found it an inspiring place. Kentucky can use a bit of art.”

Dance: Kinda Gozo
The dance jury, Stacz Wilhelm (Korzo) and Isabelle Chaffaurd (Meyer-Chauffaud), told the audience that, by the time they are thirty, dancers are almost at the end of their careers. “This is why we follow dancers over a long period, from their school days into their professional careers,’’ Wilhelm explained. “That’s quite a wide range and the question always is: who stands out?” This year it was Kinda Gozo. The winner, who had come over from France for the occasion, said she’d never thought she would stand here. “Thank you very much for believing in me.”

After the ceremony, Kinda Gozo said it is great to get help and support from people who also love art. “Art is the way to survive.” She carefully stowed her bronze picket, created by artist Joep van Lieshout, into her rucksack. She wants to use her cheque for her own dance projects. “In January I want to start on the creation of a duet together with another female dancer. In addition, I would like to do more collaborative work with other dancers.”

Dramatic Arts: Jos Nargy
Jury member Antoinette Jelgersma (Het Nationale Theater) also spoke on behalf of her colleague David Geysen (Bureau Dégradé) when she pointed out that all three of the Dramatic Arts nominees are ‘makers’. “They all have a lot of potential. They have things to tell us. Giving shape to something stirring deep inside you – this dimension is very much present this year.’’ The cheque went to Jos Nargy. Nargy said the prize came at a favourable moment. “I had a difficult financial year and I’m very keen to make my own work. This prize means recognition.’’ He extended his thanks to Joep Hendrikx (De Poezieboys) and his colleagues Thomas and Sacha (Collective Thomas, Sacha & Jos). “I’ll just happily carry on making things!’’

After the presentation Jos Nargy [link] said that it was special to receive the prize in the Theater aan het Spui. “This is where I started! I am going to use the money for the solo performance Jos danst. I expect it to be ready by September of next year. The prize money gives me breathing space.”

Jury Prize: Hedda Twiehaus
This year’s Piket Jury Prize went to Hedda Twiehaus. Erik Pals (Scapino Ballet), the chairman of the jury, described her as a true coach, ‘surrogate mother’, and repetiteur for the young dancers of Netherlands Dance Theatre (NDT) 2. Twiehaus, who had been lured to the theatre on a pretext, was completely taken by surprise. “I am speechless.’’

After the ceremony she explained: “I sometimes still work with Boston Gallacher, who was one of the nominees for Dance, so I really wanted to come. But when I heard my name, I thought: ‘This must be a mistake!’ It was a total surprise, wonderful!’’

‘Think for yourself’

Even though a fifth anniversary could be called a ‘wooden jubilee’, Joep van Lieshout’s awards only look like painted wood. The winners received a bronze picket, whereas the nominees’ picket was made of aluminium. Van Lieshout did not have to look far for inspiration. “Well yes, it was the name ‘Piket’, of course,” he explained. “I immediately thought of a picket [‘piketpaaltje’ in Dutch].’’ He spoke of the symbolic meaning of his creation. “It’s about moving on; you insert your post into the ground and stake out a piece of land. The picket marks an essential moment in your career.’’ He doesn’t mind giving young artists a bit of advice. “People often told me: ‘You shouldn’t do that,’ which was usually enough to make me do it anyway. And when people said: ‘That’s really something you should do,’ I didn’t do it. Think for yourself, follow your own path, even if it means going against the current.”

Read the interview with Joep van Lieshout about the 2018 Piket awards here

Former nominees Rutkay Özpinar and Beaudil Elzenga contributed to this special jubilee edition of the annual presentation. Özpinar was a 2014 Dance nominee; he performed is latest choreography No One Home. Beaudil Elzenga, nominated in the Dramatic Arts category in 2016, recited the poem The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

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And the winners of the Piket Art Prizes 2018 are…

The winners of the Piket Art Prizes 2018 have been announced!

Painting: Eden Latham

To put a stop to decay, to the passing of time, and to attempt to preserve what is transient; Eden Latham confronts these vast themes with simple interventions and everyday materials. Discarded utilitarian objects seem to remember their erstwhile functions: the contours of a sleeper in a mattress, the impression of a wardrobe in a carpet. For Eden these are points of departure in a process of wrapping, rubbing, encasing, in order to conserve corruption. She produces work so powerful, that it seduces you despite its filthiness.

Dance: Kinda Gozo

Kinda Gozo grew up in the Central African Republic where, on the streets with the kids from her neighborhood, she discovered dance as a means of expression. At the age of ten, she moved to La Rochelle in France, where she started training as a dancer at the local conservatory. What is immediately striking about Kinda is her strength, unpredictability and suppleness, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. It is probably because of the monetary origin of the term ‘talent’, that we tend to associate it with the static image of a kind of treasure chest. Kinda’s talent, however, is pure dynamism – an internal source of power, feeding her energy, and motivating the decisions she takes in dance as well as in life. Her intuitive connection to this source is fascinating. In Kinda we find quite literallyan origin-ality, which we could also call her soul as a performer. It gives her artistry a depththat we have rarely encountered to such an extent.

Drama: Jos Nargy (1988)

Jos Nargy, born and bred in The Hague, produced a lot of theatre in his own city. His long record of service shows how he coloured the cultural landscape. He not only creates his own performances, but also performs with Collectief ‘Thomas, Sacha en Jos’, and was one of the founders of Poezieboys. He alternates energetic stage productions with subdued, poetic programs, stimulating the audience’s imagination. He really communicates with his audience. He loves literature and his keen sense of language is evident from his work. It is always expressive, literate and transparent. This prize is a reward for everything Jos did for theatre in The Hague.

Piket Jury Prize 2018: Hedda Twiehaus (1949)

For decades Hedda Twiehaus, teacher and repetiteur at Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (NDT2), has been of tremendous importance to all this youthful talent coming to The Hague from all over the world to develop and mature. With unbridled energy and passion she communicates the magic of dance and the company’s values to generation after generation of young dancers.
Hedda Twiehaus fulfilled her task with the enthusiasm and wisdom that not only made her an excellent repetiteur, but also a sounding board, coach, and ‘surrogate mother’ for NDT2’s young dancers. She provided the warm humanity necessary to make them grow, both as dancers and as human beings. With characteristic modesty she always places herself in the background.

Beaudil Elzenga plays leading part in short film Flashback

Beaudil Elzenga, former Piket Art Prizes nominee (Dramatic Arts), plays the leading role in the short film Flashback, which was premiered at the Northern Film Festival in Leeuwarden on 8 November. The Piket Art Prizes awards ceremony will take place on Monday 26 November at the Theater aan het Spui in The Hague. On that occasion Beaudil will perform Edgar Allen Poe’s poem Little Raven as a monologue. “A beautiful, dark poem about lost love.” 

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Vanja Rukavina wins Arlecchino

Vanja Rukavina, a 2017 nominee in the dramatic arts category of the Piket Art Prizes, has won the Arlecchino for his part in Het Nationale Theater’s production The Nation. Vanja was awarded the prize during the awards ceremony of the VSCD Theatre Prizes on 16 September at the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. “I am very grateful,” Rukavina says.

At the ceremony Rukavina praised The Nation’s director Eric de Vroedt and indicated he would like to work with him again. The Arlecchino is the award for the most impressive male supporting role. The Nation is a stage thriller about the out-of-whack multicultural society. “I gave the statuette to my parents, because I’m grateful to them for their support.” He was delighted with the letter that accompanied the Arlecchino. “They said I am making an important contribution to the theatrical landscape. That really gave me a warm feeling.” The Theo and Louis d’Or and the Colombina and Arlecchino are awarded annually by the Dutch association of managements of theatres and concert halls (Vereniging van Schouwburg- en Concertgebouwdirecties, VSCD). Rukavina outstripped fellow nominees Rick Paul van Mulligen (Othello), Michiel Blankwaardt (Woiski vs Woiski), and Arnon Grunberg (De Mensheid).

De wereld volgens John and Language

The next project of Het Nationale Theater in The Hague has already been scheduled: De wereld volgens John (The world according to John) [link van maken], a The Nation spin-off. In addition, Rukavina is working on the performance Language (working title), a coproduction with Het Nationale Theater. Language will be presented at Zaal 3 in The Hague in January 2019.

Cool Japan

Vanja Rukavina also contributed to the exhibition Cool Japan at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. In the video (see link below) he tells us about his fascination for this country. “They were looking for Amsterdammers who are ‘into Japan’. I’ve been there six times. Japan is really a hobby of mine,” Vanja explains. “I have been watching anime since I was a kid. I think it’s an interesting country, also perhaps because it’s so exotic. I’ve been taking Japanese language lessons for years. It’s my dream to perform there.” The Cool Japan exhibition can be seen until 1 September 2019.

Foto: Anna van Kooij

Astrid Boons: “I am much more myself as a creator than as a dancer”

When Astrid Boons won the Piket Art Prize for dance in 2017, she felt this was a warm and solid encouragement to continue down her chosen path. She has been dancing since she was six, and is now going through a period of huge development as a choreographer. “I am not at all interested in reproduction. I want to discover what is essential, what is real, and get this across in my pieces, both as a dancer and as a choreographer.”

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We proudly present the nominees for the fifth edition of the Piket Art Prizes!

We proudly present the nominees for the fifth edition of the Piket Art Prizes! These are the nine, young and upcoming artists nominated for the Piket Art Prizes this year:

Painting

Brigitte Louter
Eden Latham
Sam Andrea

Dance

Elias Boersma
Boston Gallacher
Kinda Gozo

Dramatic Arts

Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
Jos Nargy
Teun Wolters

Read the nominees’ profiles 

 

From the left to the right: Teun Wolters, Kinda Gozo, Eden Latham, Elias Boersma, Boston Gallacher, Brigitte Louter. Credits: Janneke van Beek

Presentation of the 2018 nominees in the Theater aan het Spui

On Saturday 1 September presenter Paula Udondek and the new chairman of the jury Erik Pals (director of the Scapino Ballet, Rotterdam) presented this year’s nominees in the foyer of the Theater aan het Spui during the The Hague UIT Festival, the annual kick-off of the cultural season. Pals stressed the importance of the prizes, because they are a means to thrust young artists who strengthen the cultural climate into the limelight.

Eden Latham (visual arts), one of the nominees who was present at the occasion, said she was very happy: “At first I thought someone was kidding me. This nomination is extremely motivating.” Teun Wolters, nominated in the dramatic arts category, was equally delighted: “I know I’m allright, but it’s great to see others think so, too.” Elias Boersma (dance) had not at all expected this: “I am very surprised and feel tremendously honoured.” After the nominees had been announced, former nominee Alice Godfrey (NDT1) presented an enthralling preview of the performance Ohgirl!, which she created with dancer and choreographer Antonin Rioche. Ohgirl! is Godfrey’s first choreographic work.

 Special year

2018 is a special year for the Piket Art Prizes, not only because it marks our fifth edition, but also because so many of our nominees are from abroad. Eden Latham (visual arts) is from London, dance nominees Boston Gallacher and Kinda Gozo are from Scotland and France respectively, and dramatic arts nominee Benjamin Meirhaeghe is from Belgium. Brigitte Louter (visual arts), seizing the chance to show her work, lived in Reykjavik for some time. It is clear that The Hague is a city with international appeal.

 Festive award event

On Monday 26 November this year’s winners will be announced during a festive award event in the Theater aan het Spui. Winners will receive a sculpture made by Joep van Lieshout and 8,000 euros.

 The Piket Art Prizes

Since 2014, the Piket Art Prizes have been annually presented to artists under the age of 30 in the fields of dance, drama and visual arts. Every year, a jury consisting of professionals from these fields draws up a shortlist of nominees on the basis of a careful inventory of artistic talent from the The Hague area. The members of this year’s jury are: Erik Pals (Scapino Ballet Rotterdam), Maarten Demmink (Demiak), Suzanne Swarts (Museum Voorlinden), Stacz Wilhelm (Korzo theater), Isabelle Chaffaud (MEYER-CHAFFAUD), David Geysen (Bureau Dégradé) and Antoinette Jelgersma (Het Nationale Theater).

Interview: a day in the life of Julien Guettab

Piket winner Julien Guettab has not been idle since he won the prize for painting in 2017. Not only can he add several exhibitions at home and abroad to his CV, his bookcase is now bulging thanks to his passion for collecting.

“Collecting is the window from which I view the world”, begins Julien. “It allows me to travel in time.” That may sound mysterious, for Julien it is the most normal thing in the world. He roams flea markets and searches online for new treasures. Via Skype he proudly shows which new encyclopaedias he has recently imported from obscure German villages to his bookcase in his Parisian room. “I now have a very old one from the 18th or 19th century, which I just found online. I love how people illustrated those books, it shows how they thought and lived, and an encyclopedia is also a kind of window that allows you to view the world. There’s always something that you don’t know yet.”

Conflict, reflection and change

His passion for collecting inspired Julien to create an encyclopaedia for his own world, the kind of work the Piketjury praised and described as “dreamy and accurate, almost meditative and yet explicit”. This conflict characterizes his style, which continues to change, and is part of his compulsion to experiment. And that leads to innovation: where he had not yet found a real connection in his work, now he has. “Previously, I was only producing, I did not really know what my work meant.”

Art by Julien:

Pictures: Julien Guettab

He describes his work as a kind of maze: people have to find a way to decipher it. “I want people to recognize something about themselves in my work, there is no clear statement yet and I do not know if I want to. I like to be unclear and leave room for self-reflection. That’s very important for me.” Additionally, his drawings are now placed further apart. “If you fill everything with frills, you confuse the viewer, they will say ‘oh, what a color!’ But they won’t get any further than that. ‘ He tries to make his audience think more, he does not want to tell everything anymore. “I want them to connect the objects and create their own story around it.”

One foot in the real world, the other in art

If he is not looking for new worlds, he works at Lafayette, the Parisian version of Dutch department store de Bijenkorf. “I think it’s important to have a job and a base and also to stand with one foot in the art world. I want to stay connected with reality.” The days he doesn’t work, he starts with documentaries and biographies about other artists: Brueghel, Matisse, Velazquez. “I want to know how they lived, it gives me direction and teaches me life lessons. For example, take Rembrandt, whose wife and son died at a young age. His paintings teach me these hard lessons in life. I have to be aware of what preceded me. I need to know these kinds of things. You can almost discover yourself through them.”

After that, he goes to the drawing board, or takes art trips. He recently saw an exhibition about outsider art at the Maison de Victor Hugo museum. “Much of the art was made by people with mental problems. It was fascinating, but also shocking, and only psychologically confused people can draw these lines in this way. Normal people do not reach this level of sensitivity. It was the representation of their obsessions and what went on in their heads. That made it so disturbing, you saw what they thought.”

Art from the outsider exhibition / Pictures: Julien Guettab

Receiving the Piket Art Prize was an honour for him, Julien recalls. “It was a recognition from the art world for all the effort I have done for my art. So I have been extremely touched.” In addition to collecting, working and experimenting, Julien is working the exhibition route both in the Netherlands and elsewhere: he has exhibited in the art gallery of the De Melkweg pop venue in Amsterdam and has worked with Debbie Young (Piketwinner painting, 2016) for a group exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland. “It was great to work with her and to be in contact with other artists. It gave me a taste of life as I had expected: to be connected to the world without borders. I am very happy that we have managed in working in different places.”

Winners Piket Art Prizes 2017

Painting: Julien Guettab (1992)

Verdict of the jury: From the very first moment both members of the jury were enchanted by this artist’s small, intimate water colours and drawings. His work is dreamlike as well as precise, almost meditative and at the same time explicit. Inspired by books, Julien seems to be creating an encyclopedia of his own. But whereas an encyclopedia explains and interprets, this sometimes cryptic collection of images raises questions. Instead of plugging into current trends and styles in contemporary art, this artist looks inward and presents the viewer with his inner world. He gives shape to his memories, fears and fantasies, and in this way stimulates the viewer to imagine and associate. His very personal signature, drive and productivity strongly suggest that this painter is totally focused on this fragile but at the same time powerful work.

Dance: Astrid Boons (1988)

Verdict of the jury: Astrid Boons’ record of service as a dancer includes NDT 2 and the Göteborgs Operans Danskompani. In the past few years she also turned to choreography. In this capacity she was nominated for the Piket Art Prizes. Astrid came back to the Netherlands in 2016 and made a strong impression with her duet Rhizoma. Her work is remarkably mature for a fledgeling choreographer. It is characterised by a great intensity and a subtle sense of measurement, enabling her to keep the tension to the end. It is unusual that she has been able to develop these delicate qualities so early in her choreographic career.

Dramatic arts: Bram Suijker (1989)

Verdict of the jury: Bram is an actor who keeps developing. The jury felt he was thoroughly convincing in his role in De Verzamelde Werken van Shakespeare (ingekort) (Shakespeare’s Collected Works – abbreviated), in which he allows his audience to see many aspects of himself. From the first moment he shows a strong presence and the capacity to engage, but he is also capable to weigh what he gives. He is credible and very well able to communicate both emotion and humor. Bram knows how to transform himself, how to use his voice and his body, which contributes to his persuasiveness. It is also obvious that he really enjoys himself on the stage. During the past year he so much developed as an actor that he is now able to carry a performance. It is evident to the jury that he is more independent, more mature. Bram has for several years been a member of Het Nationale Theater, which creates a link with the city of the Hague.