Jan Bokma
24/05/2008 t/m 31/08/2008
On 24 May GEM will launch a programme of exhibits in its greenhouses featuring work by a unique series of artists. This will be a wide-ranging series: a renowned artist will transform the greenhouses into an installation, another will try out something totally new, and a promising young artist will be invited to use the greenhouses entirely as they see fit. The first presentation will be by Jan Bokma (b. 1980), who will trans-form the greenhouses into the latest version of his own Museum of Art.
Artist Jan Bokma does everything associated with his work himself. He not only produces his own works of art, he also creates his own museum. Bokma came up with this idea because, during his work process, he was constantly aware of the fact that he was producing works with the idea that they had to fit within the context of the museum. This awareness restricted his artistic freedom so much that he could think of only one solution: to create his own museum. Here, he is free to determine the framework he works in, and besides being the artist and curator, he also takes on the role of (self-)critic, decreeing his own success or failure. In this process, he also gives us an insight into a young artist’s journey through the contemporary art world.
Over the past few years Bokma has created a range of objects on which he can draw to set up constantly changing versions of his museum. Almost all the objects are made of polyurethane foam, a material used mainly in the construction industry to seal cracks and holes. It can be applied in various ways, including in layers, dollops, parallel lines, concentric circles, or as a web. Using all these techniques, Bokma produces works that resemble oversized frayed wall hangings, bath mats, lace tablecloths and embroidery in a strange, inflated material.
These objects, which at first glance appear meaningless, are accompanied by roughly hewn signs with short texts painted in messy black handwriting on a dirty yellow background, emphasising the museum context in a conceptual way. The signs might also suggest that the work has no meaning, and that there is therefore no reason for it to exist. The texts sometimes reveal the relationships between different works, sometimes by referring to them, and at other times by literally bringing them together, as in ‘Sculpture of Two Failures’. The signs contrast markedly with the white labels usually found in a museum. On all levels, Bokma is clearly playing an ironic game with the concept of a ‘museum context’.
Within that context, each object is approached as a piece of art, and every utterance refers to art. Museums also make art criticism possible, and help drive the career of an artist. Jan Bokma presents himself as a classical sculptor introducing variations on the traditions of visual art within the museum context. As such, he not only creates artistic freedom for himself, he also exposes the mechanisms of the museum as an institution.
