Opening hours: Sat + Sun, 1-6pm and by appointment: hello@ericavanloon.nl

Part of the atelierWG series

Come lay down your brain and focus on gut feelings.

Erica van Loon presents the soft launch of her project The Second the Water Wets Your Face, Reflexes of Your Aquatic Ancestors Kick In, a new audio work developed in collaboration with composer Daniel Steiner.

Relax into a bed large enough to notice from outer space, make new memories, make weightless summersaults and let yourself sink towards a sandy dance floor, with clicking creatures that vibrate your skull.

Teaser of The Second the Water Wets Your Face, Reflexes of Your Aquatic Ancestors Kick In.

For this project Van Loon collaborates with composer Daniel Steiner and had Alix de Massiac as her sparring partner throughout developing the script for the spoken text. Sources for the script were among others conversations Van Loon had with (neuro) anatomist Cindy Cleypool, zoologist Tacyana Oliveira and marine ecologist Maarten de Brauwer.

Workshop
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September 11.30am—12.30pm (RSVP)
Amplify your senses and join one of two Body Work sessions with performer Stefania Petroula before diving into the audio work. Petroula’s workshop opens up your senses and offers a different bodily state for experiencing The Second the Water Wets Your Face, Reflexes of Your Aquatic Ancestors Kick In.
These workshops are in small groups of 6 participants, so RSVP asap: hello@ericavanloon.nl

The project is generously supported by Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, Tijl Fonds –Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and Mondriaan Fund.

Photos by Erica van Loon

Part of the atelierWG Series

In this exhibition, artists Lotte van Geijn and Antoinette Nausikaä explore the unique history of the WG-terrain in Amsterdam, formerly known as the Pesthuis and Wilhelmina Gasthuis, now an artists' community since 1984. By blending the past with the present, they offer viewers a fresh perspective on the harmonious blend of culture, nature, and timelessness in this exceptional Amsterdam location.

The concept of "Genius Loci" stems from Roman mythology, meaning "the spirit of a place," serves as a guiding theme. It does not only refer to the protecting spirit of a place it also encompasses its essence and identity, reflecting its distinctiveness, natural surroundings, historical significance, and cultural heritage. Exploring the "Genius Loci" unveils new perceptions, memories, insights, ideas, and inspiration, enriching the stories and value of the place for the community.

Walnut trees
Lotte van Geijn (NL) is again inspired by the trees on the site, including the research of the Amsterdam city archaeologist Jorgen Veerkamp. At the time of the construction of a parking garage (now under Huygens College) on the former site of “Het Pesthuis” he discovered rhizomes of ancient walnut trees. Many people died during the last severe plague epidemic (1663-1664). The walnut trees were planted around the former “Pesthuis” because of their scent that scares away the flies.

Contemplation
In her installation, Antoinette Nausikaä focuses on the timeless and natural entanglement between humans and their environment. Alongside the exhibition she organizes a Contemplative Walk across the WG grounds in which she invites participants to embrace their everyday surroundings with an open and observing gaze. Aiming to explore, within the silence and wonder, a renewed connection with it.

Open Lab
From 28 August to 2 September puntWG will serve as an Open Lab for research.
The presentation / Opening will be held on Saturday 2 September 17:00 - 19:00
Opening hours: Thursdays-Sundays 14:00-18:00 and by appointment

Event
Contemplative Walk by Antoinette Nausikaä
Sunday 3 September 10:00 - 11:30
Max 12 participants
You can register for the walk via atelierwg@puntwg.nl

Part of the puntWG Open Call Series

atelierWG Foundation is offering artists the opportunity to present new projects at puntWG. This initiative serves as a platform to stimulate dialogue between artists and their work, and as a meeting place for communities to share ideas and knowledge. Selected proposals will be based on artists who have an interest in presenting work through collaboration and interaction with each other and the public. Alongside showing new work, proposals with an active public program that includes artist talks, performances, screenings or lectures are encouraged. Selected artists will host an exhibition and public program over a four week period. This call is not intended for curated group exhibitions or exhibitions that have previously been shown in other spaces.

Support: 

The organisation of both puntWG and Foundation atelierWG almost fully depends on volunteers. While we provide the use of the space, basic equipment and professional photo documentation, selected artists are responsible for the installation and deinstallation of their shows, as well as invigilation. All exhibitions and side programmes will be shared on our website and Instagram page. To further aid the realisation of each exhibition, puntWG will issue successful applicants with acceptance letters for external funding applications. 

You can find the puntWG floor plan HERE.

 Application guidelines: 

Please send ONE pdf (max 10 mb) which includes the following documents in your email  submission. (Please do not include text in the body of your email as part of your application):

•       Full name, date and place of birth, postal address, phone number, e-mail and website
•       CV, max two A4 pages per participating artist
•       A proposal (max. 250 words) that includes a description of your exhibition and the public programme. Please be concise.
•       A short motivation for showing at puntWG. 
•       A maximum of ten supporting images or links to moving image, sound, or performance pieces, (max. 5 mins each) for each participating artist. Please do not send website links. 
•       Indicate your preferred months for the exhibition and the times when you are not available. The more accurate you are, the better we can organise the calendar.

. Indicate if you at the time of this application have already (partly) secured funding for the exhibition.

- In the case of larger group projects, please indicate which artists have confirmed their participation

Proposals to be emailed to opencall@atelierwg.nl

The submission deadline is 31 August 2023

All recipients will be notified before 31 October 2023

For general information and questions regarding puntWG, contact: opencall@atelierwg.nl 

Organization and programming of puntWG: Michelle Son, Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec, Lily Lanfermeijer and Giovanni Giaretta

www.puntwg.nl 

About

Following the relocation of the hospital Wilhelmina Gasthuis in 1984, now the AMC – Academic Medical Center – artists, small business owners and residents have shaped and preserved the unique character and special site of WG in Amsterdam. Today a large number of artists are living and working on the grounds, including those who are part of atelierWG (in Pavilions 18 and 19).

Established in 1989, AtelierWG Foundation houses 120 artists studios as well as initiating projects in the fields of art and culture, including international exchanges and Open Studio routes.

In 2006, puntWG was created as an interdisciplinary exhibition space and platform for the arts, with a lively program of exhibitions, performances, concerts, lectures and discussions with the aim of initiating an open and broad discourse between artists and the public. PuntWG was initiated by the artists of atelierWG, who finance the space and organize its programming.

airWG, an artist-in-residence, opened in September 2015, hosting a guest studio for national and international artists with an emphasis on research and collaboration.

Photograph by Ilya Rabinovic, from the exhibition shyplay* by Antje Nestel and Aster Arribas

Part of the puntWG Open Call Series

Gateway: A point at which freight moving from one territory to another is interchanged between transportation lines.
(Port Reform Toolkit PPIAF, World Bank, 2nd ed., 2022)

‘The gateway as a point of encounter’ is a collaborative exhibition between artists María José Crespo and Madeleine Ruggi drawing upon the artists’ firsthand experiences visiting the Port of Amsterdam — a massive 4900-acre logistics hub handling some 100 million tonnes of international cargo traffic each year.

The experience of their own bodies gaining access to and being confronted with macrocosmic trading systems, territories, borders and port infrastructures is presented via Crespo and Ruggi’s separate methods of research, archive organisation and material experimentation. Crespo and Ruggi’s individual witnessing of the vastly connected world of commodity demand has resulted in this collaborative new body of work featuring sculpture, video, print, installation and sound.

This exhibition, ‘The gateway as a point of encounter’, marks a shift in Crespo and Ruggi’s previous mode of research which had centred on audiovisual presentations, such as their performance lectures at the Royal College of Art, London (2021) and Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam (2022). On 19 August, for the finissage of ‘The gateway as a point of encounter’, Crespo and Ruggi will give a unique public performance lecture offering insight into their research methodologies and processes of material translation.

Events
Performative Lecture, 19 August 18h
The exhibition will close with the artists’ public performance lecture offering insight into their research methodologies and processes of material translation.

For this exhibition, puntWG's opening hours will be Saturday and Sunday 13h-18h.

Supported by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst and The Eaton Fund.

Photography by Ilya Rabinovich

Part of the puntWG Open Call Series

Angles Morts is an exhibition by Kyulim Kim and Andoni Zamora. In this exhibition, Kyulim Kim and Andoni Zamora present works that redraw an unseen space, where they have no clear governance or frame.

By exploring the micro and macro aspects of "empty spaces," Kyulim Kim will track the notion of "empty space" as an area we are not aware of, not only in terms of land but also in terms of air as a space in itself. Kyulim starts from researching particulate matter through the lenses of different sensors and cameras. Andoni Zamora proposes to open a threshold for revisiting hidden spaces within the city of Amsterdam. Through performances and staged interactions performed between two people in urban gray areas, he seeks to find a memory from which to walk through the city. He traverses various locations and reimagines their stories, aiming to find the continuities and interconnections across distinct spaces throughout the city.

("Angles morts" refers to an area in your range of vision that you cannot see properly but which you should be able to see. For example, when driving a car, the area just behind your shoulders is often a blind spot.)

Exhibition open Tuesdays-Sundays 2pm-6pm

Event

Sunday Talking:  A conversation between the artists and Lua Vollard
9th July, 5pm-6pm
Free entry, prosecco and snacks provided
At this event, artists Andoni Zamora and Kyulim Kim will stage a reading of some of references in relation to the exhibition Angles Morts. Lua Vollaard will kick off with a reading of speculative city ordinances, invited especially for this exhibition. The artists will then read excerpts from reference material in relation to their presented works.

Text by Lua Vollaard
Graphic design by Victoria Allakhverdyan
Funded by Mondriaan Fonds, AFK, Amarte Fonds

Photography by Ilya Rabinovich

Part of the airWG Series

Open 17-25 June, every day except Tuesday & Thursday, 2-6 pm

In this exhibition Ukrainian WG artist-in-residence Polina Doroshenko presents drawings and texts reflecting her personal journey after leaving her home in Kyiv with her young daughter Stefaniia.

"How do you keep going on when your home is in a war zone? How do you protect your child and take care of yourself when everything brings to mind the writings of George Orwell?.... I began to make sketchbooks with drawings and reflections, a first-hand format to visualise my thoughts, ideas and anxieties. These’ visual diaries’ became an important part of my life with my daughter Stefaniia. Somewhere between diving deep into darkness and simple everyday’s happiness. In this exhibition, at the end of my airWG residency I’m sharing our personal story on our continuing journey."

Polina Doroshenko (1989) lived in Kyiv prior to the war, working as a book illustrator and graphic arts teacher. In March 2022, Polina with her four-year-old daughter Stefaniia had to flee their home and made their way to Barcelona, where they found temporary shelter with friends. In April 2023 they came to Amsterdam for a 3-month residency in the airWG.

Polina graduated from NAOMA, the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, Department of Graphic Arts with a Master’s degree. She has been a tutor in graphic design at NAOMA since 2019. Over the last eight years she has developed her practice in art & design, becoming a successful illustrator and a graphic artist, especially for children’s books. In her work, Polina prefers to mix techniques and experiments with materials and has illustrated more than 10 books, three of which were awarded international prizes.

Polina & Stefaniia’s WG residency is supported by Dutch Fund for Ukrainian artists, Mondriaan Fund, airWG and Artists at Risk.

Photography by Ilya Rabinovich

Part of the puntWG Open Call Series

shy* play is a series of performative events initiated by Aster Arribas and Antje Nestel, in collaboration with Angelo Custodio, Karime Salame Sainz and Rajni Shah. *shy is used here as a shorthand for shyness, introversion, and neurodivergence. The asterisk gestures a refusal to adhere to a final form of fixed categories.

shy* play departs from the urgency to reflect and craft amongst the hindrances that the dominant art world's contexts have confronted us with: In our experience, shy, introverted and neurodivergent expressions suffer under the regime of neurotypicality and extraversion which has become the standard method for institutional artistic experimentation and sociality formation. In response, this project asks: can shyness, introversion, and neurodivergence be a means for creative and experimental sociality formation?

In this project, neurodivergent tendencies act as springboards for the creation of different relational techniques which, in turn, perform as a means for artistic experiments in neurodivergent sociality. We hope to facilitate a spacetime where shyness, introversion and neurodivergence can exist outside the bounds of neurotypical hegemony, while also exploring the potential of creating new ways of doing-together-in-difference.

PuntWG will act as a laboratory where shy* play will collaborate with visiting humans and more-than-humans in exploring techniques that employ the voice, space, relationality, and performativity. A 300 meter-long fabric of various textures and opacities will become a space-shifter and facilitator throughout the project’s duration. All shy* play events and activities are organised for a limited number of visitors, so make sure to sign up.

shy* play is generously supported by Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, Stichting Stokroos and DAS Research.

Events

shy* play Workshops
20th and 27th of May, 1st, 3rd and 10th of June from 14:00 to 17:00
Sign up: https://shy-play.org/events.html

Through embodied and physical techniques of relation, participants will explore together-in-difference the potential for valuing otherwise when departing from neurodivergent tendencies. What if there is no center of attention or space? How to practice a decentered visibility? How can we create an architecture that challenges the view that the human subject is at the center of experience?

Throughout the duration of the workshop, a 300-meter-long fabric composed of various textures and opacities will be used as a space shifter and facilitator. It will also host activities such as costuming, body wrapping, thresholding, voicing, transferring text, and drawing on surfaces, as well as other unexpected techniques.

All shy* play's events are procedural: a collective construction of spacetime with those visiting (both human and more-than-human) whereby it is assumed that each mode of existing, seeing, voicing, experiencing, participating, expressing, and moving in the environment has the same existential value, all the while recognizing the effects of cumulative trauma load that neurotypical demands can have on a neurodivergent bodymind.

shy* play workshops are organised for a limited number of visitors, so make sure to sign up.

shy* play Lounging Sessions
25th, 26th of May, 2nd, 4th and 8th of June from 14:00 to 18:00/20:00
Sign up: https://shy-play.org/events.html

Participants of the lounging session will enter into the traces of the previous workshop, which will serve as the spatial starting point for inhabiting a shared timespace. These traces will host directionalities of neurodivergent tendencies to be immersed within a hangout experiment. There will be textual information and cues to relational techniques that linger in the space, and one can choose to engage with them.

Specifically designed for the occasion, costumes will be available for all participants to wear. These costumes will be large enough to accommodate all body shapes and forms, and ribbons, ropes, and elastic straps will be provided for adjusting. The costumes can also host drawings and writings, as well as any desired transformations.

shy* play Lounging Sessions are organised for a limited number of visitors, so make sure to sign up.

Part of the airWG Series

In the “Chimera” series, Ksenia Bilyk observes cultural matters that are used by Russian political propaganda.

In her works, she attempts to understand the scale of propaganda and how it motivates people to support the aggressive war effort.

The resentment that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union combined with history of the victory over fascism in World War II, turned this memory into a psychotic, almost religious cult with a desire for revanche.

On February 24, 2022, along with tank fire and rocket explosions, we witnessed the results of propаganda full of manipulative anti-Western rhetoric, which now serves as a facade for the destruction of the so-called “brotherly nation”.

Working in the context of war, Bilyk tries to capture the sick, ugly essence of the aggressor and highlight the prejudice that has poisoned the collectiven consciousness. She seeks to uncover the mechanics behind the twisted mirror that distorts reality beyond recognition.

Since Russian propaganda is based mainly on narratives of the past, most of Bilyk's works from this series have references to Soviet symbols. She intentionally uses symbols that have been distorted by propaganda, as they have lost their original cultural meaning and have become a mere tool for propaganda themselves. She distorts them into even more absurd, ironic, and helpless forms following the same myth-making manner.