Tuesday, June 22

Thursday June 17.

There are figures of orange footballers in the foyer of my hotel and vuvuzelas (orange) being blown on the streets – I am in Holland at the invitation of
Angelique Spaninks, director of Eindhoven’s Stichting MU.

Ready for action in my hotel

Tomorrow night I will give a lecture as part of the programme around For those who live in it: popculture politics and strong voices, an exhibition of the work of young(er) Southem African artists – Love and Hate, Zanele Muholi, Faith47, Athi Patra Ruga, Kudzanai Chiurai, Musa Nxumalo, Anton Kannemeyer, Chimurenga and Gugulective.

Anton Kannemeyer’s wall drawing at MU

The Stichting MU is located on the first floor of the old Phillips factory, the lightbulb industry which brought Eindhoven into economic prominence, and in its more than ten years of existence, has concentrated on presenting provocative and experimental work.

Ex-UCT Art History student Clare Butcher is now working as a guest curator at the impressive Van Abbemuseum nearby, (seeing the Rebecca Horn show there years ago is one of the highlights of a lifetime of art-viewing) and as it is her birthday, we go out to supper. The seafood platter at Usine – for three – is quite a display.

Supper at Usine with Clare Butcher

Friday June 18

In the courtyard of the Van Abbe, guest artist Antonis Pittas is stenciling in graphite a phrase selected from a newspaper on to a curved white wall – one a week over a period of three and a half months. The earlier phrases have already faded and run slightly.

Antonis Pittas at the Van Abbe

In the workrooms of the museum, as part of a Free Sol Lewitt project, artisans are welding up exact copies of a Sol Lewitt sculptural ‘drawing’ in aluminum – visitors may fill in a form entering a raffle to win one. Lewitt’s Untitled Wall Structure (1972) is part of the museum’s collection, and this offer is in line with Lewitt’s statement:

‘I believe that ideas, once expressed, become the common property of all. They are invalid, if not used, they can only be given away and cannot be stolen. Ideas of art become the vocabulary of art and are used by other artists to form their own ideas (even if unconsciously).

I wish my studio mate Paul Edmunds was with me. He would love this. He returned from a recent sojourn in New York completely into Lewitt.

Sol LeWitt’s Untitled Wall Structure (1972) (the original)

Over a delicious nut risotto at a restaurant called Boom that night, Angelique and I talk about the role of project spaces like MU in the art world, and how important they are, and as for my lecture – I enjoyed giving it, and if you want to read more about that, you can link to http://thedossier.nl/siphoning-identity-sue-williamson/"

Blogger JaneHardjono has my admiration for getting this entry up just an hour after the lecture finished. Wow. That is dedication.