KRIMPEN AAN DEN IJSSEL – At the end of last year, this municipality, together with me, presented the 'Lotte Stam-Beeseplein', a village square that (still) exists only in the realm of our imagination. It's named after the extraordinary Krimpen resident and urban planner Lotte Stam-Beese (1903–1988). She played a key role in Rotterdam and beyond during the post-war reconstruction period. The sign, which overlooks a large parking lot, bears one of her memorable sayings: "Because the ground belongs to all of us."
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The cultural infrastructure in the Netherlands is mainly used in a disciplinary manner for the preservation (of what is) and the management of life (of what cannot be). This creates a tension between discipline and quality. The Council for Culture recently issued advice, but seems to ignore the disciplinary effect of the existing power structures where artistic freedom is at stake.
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"The Supergau Festival in Lungau lies behind us, but on a daily basis I think back with great pleasure. I remember well when the "open call" appeared on the internet. This is a call for artists to express their interest in a particular assignment. In the description was mentioned that they were looking for artists who know how to elevate whole meadows to art. This appealed to me because I organise art projects in outdoor spaces in temporary alliances."
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"In June, Edwin Stolk wrote a postcard to all Lungau mayors to exchange views on the future of their municipality. Mayor Manfred Sampl of Sankt Michael im Lungau responded right away enthusiastically. The newspaper 'meinbezirk' reports about his attempt to make it harder to sell out to foreign investors and stop the flight of young people from this rural region. They agreed to meet at the town hall."
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"I am a Dutch artist living near Rotterdam. The beauty of art is that it has many forms and possibilities. I am especially interested in the social insights that art can offer when we work together. In order to create meaning, I try to get to know the Lungau region and the people who live there."
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"Populism, migration, climate change, the precariousness of life, the urgent issues we are facing today require the inquisitive mind of an artist. During my art studies, the more radically I immersed myself in what is called the 'art world', the less interested I became in this parallel 'reality'. I believe that art must be able to relate temporarily to the forces at play in social 'reality'."
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"Artist Edwin Stolk often works on location, reacting to existing situations out of a fascination for the social implications of his artistry. Sometimes he creates a new environment, like in 2017 with Base Camp Entre Nous at KiK (Art in Kolderveen). At the moment Stolk is developing a new project in the Brugse Poort in Ghent. From that situation he reports on his research and the ideas that arise from it."
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"The artist has become a being that must be guided to meet the right expectations."
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