foto’s en video: Nahla Alkenaya, Irma Bruggeman
Openingsspeech door Ronald Ophuis, 1 december 2022
Dear all,
A special welcome to the artists… who are showing their works. It is a wonderful exhibition. My respect to everyone who helped to achieve this. I wish a space like this was here when i was growing up in Hengelo.
Irma Bruggeman asked me to do a short opening speech of maximum two minutes and asked me to give some advise to the younger artist.
or better share some experiences that I had in the art world. Difficult, an advise is arrogant, I move away from that position.
To share experiences is easier and less egocentric, because everybody has to find their own way and follow their own instincts.
What helped me was staying nervous, to cherish my nervousness. In my work, and in the way I tried to position myself. I did that by… again and again trying to escape from the comfort zones in my mind and in my way of engaging the subjects I wanted to paint
Artists!
Don’t hide, let us know that you are here.
But how?
That’s up to you of course…but you can create new collectives, hang around at openings at exhibition places where you feel challenged, try networking, don’t be submissive, create exhibitions yourselves and open exhibition spaces. Use your power of the new and different perspective. there is an audience waiting for you.
Artists!
We need you.
There’s a lack of new perspectives, because the world is a mess and we have to clean it up.
The aggression against art and artworks from outsiders and insiders shows us that art is powerful. Not the artist is powerful, but the artwork has the power.
Life has no meaning, so don’t expect that art has a meaning, don’t try to give your art a meaning.
Stay irrational, and keep working from irrationality.
Develop knowledge on irrationality.
But art can and will help and helps us understanding the other and ourselves.
Nobody knows it, and those who know, are disagreeing.
Again, try to develop the knowledge of the irrationality.
The words and insight will follow, sometimes soon, sometimes after years and sometimes never. Let that not withhold you to create what your heart wants you to make.
Use your power, because you need it to create space for yourself and the other.
Show us your ways of thinking and making.
When I finished art school I thought I could paint everything…not true…my art was already there since I was born. I just tried to develop the skills to visualise it and tried to be strong and to stay close to myself.
Dear artists, find the power to enter the art world and influence us with new gravities.
We need necessary new questions, we need necessary new discussions, we need necessary new perspectives, we need new art.
I am grateful to all of you.
Now!… the exhibition is open, enjoy, feel, learn, think and experience…and…don’t cancel each other.’
Artikel 1Twente, 3 december 2022:
Internationale AKI-studenten maken debuut bij kunstwerkplaats De Möllerwerf
1Twente, 3 december 2022 (audio, vanaf 20.25 minuten):
Interview Irma Bruggeman over expositie AKI studenten