ARTZUID 2025

  • Initiative Cintha van Heeswijck-Veeger
  • Curator Ralph Keuning

Art historian Ralph Keuning is curating the Amsterdam Sculpture Biennial ARTZUID 2025, which will take place from May 21 to September 21 along the Apollolaan, Minervalaan and Zuidas in Amsterdam South. This ninth edition of ARTZUID, titled Enlightenment / Verlichting, celebrates the freedom and tolerance of the city of Amsterdam, which marks its 750th anniversary this year.

Internationally renowned artists and emerging Dutch talent will present sculptures and installations that transform the Apollolaan, Minervalaan and Zuidas into a surreal urban landscape this summer. Figurative works will be juxtaposed with architecturally inspired abstract sculptures, displaying a wide variety of scale and material. What unites them is their focus on the mystery of human existence: wonder, emotion, and visions of being; the ambitions and fears surrounding our place in the world. Artists such as Leiko Ikemura, Alicja Kwade and Neo Rauch invite visitors to engage in a dialogue, a sensual conversation with the works on display.

The turmoil of occupation, the fear of war, and the spirit of resistance are poignantly expressed in the contributions of artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Shinkichi Tajiri and Armando. Atelier Van Lieshout reflects on power and powerlessness, conflict and victimhood, through a group of figures surrounding a mounted rider. Within the ARTZUID route, this work is placed in dialogue with the Monument Indië-Nederland on the Apollolaan.

These are just a few examples of the more than 60 works that populate ARTZUID. The architectural sculptures and installations, often by younger artists, carry a sense of engagement and idealism reminiscent of architect H.P. Berlage and city sculptor Hildo Krop. They challenge visitors to reflect on the future of the urban community and to seek answers to the question of which strategies are needed to create a sustainable and peaceful society.

Title ARTZUID 2025: Enlightenment

Curator Ralph Keuning:

“The liberal spirit of Amsterdam is a state of mind that makes this city a place of freedom, tolerance, solidarity, and a breeding ground for new ideas. As a trading city, it has sailed the world’s seas, while at the same time, for centuries, Amsterdam has attracted independent people from all over the globe who have helped shape it into the metropolis it is today.

The title Enlightenment refers to the belief in progress that characterized the 18th century, an Age of Reason in which science and art flourished and the foundations of our democracy were laid. At the same time, there was the dark side of colonialism, with all its inhumane aspects. This paradox of progress and prosperity on the one hand, and exclusion and sacrifice on the other, is just as relevant today as it was then, and belongs to the discourse of the city, of art, and thus to the green boulevards of ARTZUID 2025.

On the other end of the spectrum, Enlightenment can also be understood quite literally: easing our worries, relaxing, daydreaming, fantasizing, and finding beauty. This, too, is what we aim to evoke with this edition of ARTZUID.”

 

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