eNews  
website            online version   edit | unsubscribe  
 
 
 
Literally
 
The Rug, Whiff #3 (MacGuffin magazine), 2021
Print size 147 x 193,5 cm / plexiglass box frame 150 x 190 x 12 cm
Edition of 8 plus 1 AP
©Scheltens & Abbenes
 

Maurice Scheltens & Liesbeth Abbenes »

 

Literally

 
15 January - 5 March, 2022
 
Opening: Saturday 15 January, 2022 (if lockdown permits)
 
 

THE RAVESTIJN GALLERY

Westerdok 824 . 1013 BV Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20-5306005

www.theravestijngallery.com
Mon-Sat 12:00-17:00
THE RAVESTIJN GALLERY
 
 
Literally
 
The Rug, Whiff #5 (MacGuffin magazine), 2021
Print size 147 x 193,5 cm / plexiglass box frame 150 x 190 x 12 cm
Edition of 8 plus 1 AP
©Scheltens & Abbenes
 
 
A Stain in a Rug was MacGuffin magazine’s commission, but Scheltens & Abbenes decided to approach the theme from another angle. From a local thrift shop the artists borrowed worn-out carpets and with large sweeping gestures they tried to remove the hideous stains they carried. The soap splashes not merely freshened up some colour patches, but also caused surprising new patterns. The fleeting moments were caught by the camera’s eye and the photos featured in MacGuffin’s Nº 9 issue. While being happy with the series of revived rugs, Maurice Scheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes felt the photos deserved yet another context.

For their upcoming show at The Ravestijn Gallery, which opens on January 15th 2022, the photos gain a next life, this time by returning to the rugs’ three-dimensionality. The original photos, the size of which had been limited by the dimensions of the magazine, are now blown up to a considerable magnitude and encased in somewhat smaller Plexiglas boxes. As a result, the heavy prints lean against the back and slightly curl up at the bottom. A three-dimensional reality, a doubling of the illusion - Soap (MacGuffin magazine, 2021) has become Whiff.
 
 
Literally
 
The Rug, Whiff #6 (MacGuffin magazine), 2021
Print size 147 x 193,5 cm / plexiglass box frame 150 x 190 x 12 cm
Edition of 8 plus 1 AP
©Scheltens & Abbenes
 
 
Scheltens & Abbenes are known for their detailed, highly aesthetic photos, in which familiarity and illusion play a mysterious game. However, the duo never aims at creating mystery for the sake of mystery. Instead, the artists try to reach the innate wisdom, or essence, that secretly resides in mundane things. The still-life sets, which they meticulously build up in front of the camera’s eye, are discarded once the images have frozen the moment. And thus, only within the context of the photo, the soap splashes are part of the carpet’s decoration.

Literally is a way of coming full circle for Scheltens & Abbenes. The recycling of their own works, and returning to that which is depicted in the original photos, emphasizes the essence of their work: inviting people to look again and look more intensely at that which they have probably seen a thousand times before.
 
 
Literally
 
Silk Colour Library, Blacks, Reds & Yellows
(Le Monde d'Hermes Magazine), 2021
Print on textile 90 x 90 cm
©Scheltens & Abbenes
 
 
Scheltens & Abbenes, who live and work in Amsterdam, have presented their work at prestigious international institutes, including Foam Amsterdam, Huis Marseille Amsterdam, Galliera Musée de la Mode Paris, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie in Mannheim. Their commissioners include MacGuffin Magazine, Fantastic Man, The Plant, The Gentlewoman, Vrij Nederland, as well as Hermès, Chanel, COS, Balenciaga, Paco Rabanne, Maison Martin Margiela, Gucci Osteria, HumanRace by Pharrell Williams, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Dutch Royal Residence.

Due to the current lockdown regulations we are not sure if we can open the show to the public on Saturday the 15th of January. If not we will organize a get together at a later date!
 
 
Literally
 
Silk Colour Library, Purples & Yellows
(Le Monde d'Hermes Magazine), 2021
Print on textile 90 x 90 cm
©Scheltens & Abbenes
 
 
unsubscribe here
Newsletter was sent to newsletter@newslettercollector.com

© 7 Jan 2022 photo-index UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Ziegelstr. 29 . D–10117 Berlin
Editor: Claudia Stein & Michael Steinke
contact@photo-index.art . T +49.30.24 34 27 80