Rietveld Review(ed) 2021
The Gerrit Rietveld Academie is proud to present the new video portraits of selected graduation projects of 2021 as part of Rietveld Review(ed). With these portraits, we highlight and celebrate remarkable art projects from the next generation of artists.
Reflecting on the Graduation Show
Rietveld Review(ed) is part of the Graduation Show’s side programme. Independent, external committees were asked to reflect on the Graduation Show (7-11 July 2021) as a whole and to signal current tendencies and themes within the exhibition. The reflections and observations were processed by the Rietveld Academie into a reflection report (download it here as pdf).
This year’s Visual Arts committee, consisting of Roel Arkesteijn, Théo Demans, Imara Limon, Tirzo Martha and Marina Otero Verzier, noted that intimacy and family played a large role in this year’s Graduation Show. “As a viewer, one is smartly being tempted to immerse oneself in the works and in the personal world of the students. It is a world that is directed inwards, one that is enticing and uncomfortable at the same time, a world in which matriarchal relationships take the stage.”
The Thesis committee - that consisted of Katja Mater and Sarah van Binsbergen and was chaired by Jeroen Boomgaard - was impressed with the fact that all the theses were able to relate personal research to current issues.
Videos of selected projects
The committees were also asked to select several projects by graduates that support their observations. Presenter and programme creator Luuk Heezen and cameraman Rik Lauwen then created video portraits of these selected projects and their makers. The two-to-four-minute videos offer an accessible way to explore these intimate and personal art projects further and get to know the artists and designers behind the projects – something which might not have been possible for visitors amidst the plethora of art works in the exhibition, or because the art projects could only receive a limited number of visitors due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Video portrait series
This is the second year in a row that the Rietveld Academie launches a set of video portraits of their graduates. These alumni can use these portraits to tell the public more about their artistic practice. As a series, the portraits show unique views of the world and art. With these portraits, we aim to support the graduates in the next steps in their artistic careers.