Description
In Netherland, artist’s country, brick is very popular for houses construction. He was impressed by Besançon stone de Chailluz (local stone, registered at UNESCO world heritage), which offers for him an irregularity full of charm, rows of similar houses fusing in each other to create an uniform landscape. He chooses to color with chalk a all the front house at Place Marulaz, creating a colors patchwork, ludic and dreamlike, letting the house express itself and breaking for a moment the uniform esthetic while it keeps local heritage living.
Action
Bien Urbain 8
1 month: From 8th june to 8th july 2018
Site: Hôp Hop Hop (Besançon, FR)
Associate artist: Brad Downey (US)
16 guest artists : Christian Eisenberger (AUT), Julien Fargetton (FR), John Fekner (US), Somaticae (FR), Olivier Grossetête (FR), Deana Kolenčiková (CZ), Cie La Méandre (FR), Jérôme Fino (FR), Igor Ponosov (RU), Yevgen Samborsky (UKR), Santiago Sierra (ES), Helmut Smits (NL), Brad Troemel (US), Vladimir Turner (CZ), Jazoo Yang (KOR), Brad Downey (US)
Biography
Born in 1974 in the Netherlands, Helmut Smits lives and works in Rotterdam. He looks at everyday objects as if he were discovering them every day. Conceptual artist, he does not restrict himself to a single medium and works on the material, the use and the context of everyday objects that he chooses and modifies as he sees fit. Humor and the absurd are key pieces of his work. He creates a fun dreamlike reading of the world around us. With poetic finesse and a minimalist touch, he challenges and tries to overturn habits, rationality and everyday life. The transformations that it brings to the public space give rise to complex reflections thanks to simple ideas.
Photo credits
Élisa Murcia-Artengo