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On Wednesday, June 22 Rotterdam-based artist collective Bik Van der Pol will present their artistic practice as part of the Big Ideas in Art and Culture Lecture Series. Their work is also part of 1mile2, an eight-month artistic program mapping Guelph’s cultural ecology.
Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol have been working collectively as Bik Van der Pol since 1995. They live and work in Rotterdam. Recent exhibitions include MACRO, Rome; Western Front, Vancouver; CCA, Glasgow; Lyon Biennale. They have also published several books including the ongoing series Past Imperfect (2005, 2007), Fly Me To The Moon and +82 (2006), The Lost Moment (2007), Instanbul, 29 Locations (2007), and Public Arena (2009).
Bik Van der Pol explore the potential of art to produce and transmit knowledge. Their practice is based on cooperation between the diverse communities they work with and the artists themselves. As a research entity, Bik Van der Pol is interested in creating situations that facilitate communication. They often work on location using, reusing and reactivating spaces, forms and situations where people meet to exchange thoughts and ideas: a library, a public picnic place, a mobile cinema, a sports field . . . mediators they deliberately attempt to influence the cultural climate and transform it in a constructive manner by ameliorating situations, adding what is lacking, illuminating things that are in darkness, and opening up issues in public. Rather than add yet another new idea to the production and consumption of knowledge, they allow something to outgrow its original roots, boundaries or limitations.
The Big Ideas in Art and Culture Lecture Series is a joint production of the Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area and Musagetes.
For more information, contact Nora Webb at [email protected], call 519.836.7300 or visit 1mile2.com. On Wednesday, June 22
Rotterdam-based artist collective Bik Van der Pol will present their artistic practice as part of the Big Ideas in Art and Culture Lecture Series. Their work is also part of 1mile2, an eight-month artistic program mapping Guelph’s cultural ecology.