Project: Spirits of the Soil
Partner: Raquel van Haver
Disciplines: Graphic Design, Event Production
Year: 2018
Catalogue design and book launch event for Raquel van Haver's exhibition Spirits of the Soil
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PREFACE Spirits of the Soil
Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen
curator | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
"When I first saw Van Haver’s paintings I was overwhelmed with a sense of pride in the Bijlmer. Her narrative and figurative style deeply impressed me, as did her choice of subjects reflecting empathy for people in marginal communities—in the Bijlmer and beyond, in the urban ghettos of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It was right there and then, in Van Haver’s Bijlmer studio in 2016, that I was struck by the idea of inviting her for an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum."
Change the rhythm of the dancehall… It’s still the Same groove | 2018
265 x 320 x 30 cm | oil on burlap, hair, tar, chalk, gel, resin, homemade paint, ash, cigarettes, bottle caps, posters, paper, beads
The eyes must be obeyed… One 1000 soldiers with one 1000 dices.
When They start They make you No go anywhere… | 2018
226 x 260 x 12 cm | oil on burlap, hair, tar, chalk, gel, resin, homemade paint, ash, cigarettes, bottle caps, posters, paper, beads
Reason for Being | 2018
220 x 304 x 17 cm | oil on burlap, hair, tar, chalk, gel, resin, homemade paint, ash, cigarettes, bottle caps, posters, paper, beads
Dem smoke and blaze under Royal regime | 2018
225 x 325 x 17 cm | oil on burlap, hair, tar, chalk, gel, resin, homemade paint, ash, cigarettes, bottle caps, posters, paper, beads
Life never sweet like a Chocolate vanilla | 2018
235 x 286 x 12 cm | oil on burlap, hair, tar, chalk, gel, resin, homemade paint, ash, cigarettes, bottle caps, posters, paper, plastic
One drop.. Your heart might skip a beat for many reasons… | 2018
260 x 310 x 12 cm | oil on burlap, hair, tar, chalk, gel, resin, homemade paint, ash, cigarettes, bottle caps, posters, paper, wood
ESSAY We do not sleep as we parade all through the Night...
Azu Nwagbogu
chief curator | Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
The best way to approach the monumental paintings featured in Spirits of the Soil, Raquel van Haver’s first solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum, is to submit without trepidation to what is an overwhelming sensory experience.
Part II is about the modern vision, the construction and the renewal of the large scale urbanisation pro-ject: De Bijlmermeer as we know it now.
Part III is a testimonial of De Bijlmer today in the form of personal interviews, anecdotes and thematic articles.
The book is made up out of 18 chapters. Every chapter starts with a full spread in colour code and with a short text introducing the topic. The tranquil layout, marking the start of every new chapter, creates a strong contrast with the colourful imagery on all other pages helping readers navigate.
Richly illustrated
For the production of this richly illustrated book we scooped around in 50+ archives. We also took care of the image editing and clearance.
Here we see the Register Remissorium Philippi;
index op de grafelijke registers, displaying the crests and privileges of the Dukes of Holland, produced somewhere between 1434 and 1450 and part of the collection of the National Archive of Den Haag.
The family tree of Amsterdam
This page is pretty special to us. We researched many archives for a visual
representation of the lineage of the House of Amstel, founding fathers of the city of Amsterdam. Though all data was available, we didn’t find what we were looking for so Vinger.nl invited visual artist Bert Jacobs to make this illustration.
Publication
Editor Raquel van Haver, Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen
Contributors Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen, Azu Nwagbogu
Translation Laura Schuster
Copy Editing Dutton Hauhart (EN), Steve Green (EN), Els Brinkman (NL)
Project Management Sophie Tates, Gwen Parry
Project Assistance Jip Mendes
Graphic Design Sara Mattens & Jeffrey Croese, Vinger.nl
Photography Wim Hanenberg pp. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, centrefold
Hans Wilschut pp. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Printing Tuijtel, Hardinxveld-Giessendam
Print Run 1,000
© 2018 the artist; the photographers; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
ISBN 978-90-5006-204-6
Exhibition
Curator Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen
Project Manager Sophie Cramer
Project Officer Alein van der Staaij
Registrar Hadewych van Heugten
Floor Manager Luc Daamen, Mischa Rakier
STEDELIJK MUSEUM AMSTERDAM
This catalog is published on the occasion of the exhibition Raquel van Haver – Spirits of the Soil
Nov 25, 2018 – Apr 7, 2019 | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
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The exhibition Raquel van Haver – Spirits of the Soil is generously supported by Ammodo, the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts) and Stadsdeel Zuidoost. The Mondriaan Fund contributed to the production of new works through the Project Grants for Artists and to the artist’s wage through the Experimental Regulations. The exhibition is part of the 50 Jaar Bijlmer manifestation, with support from CBK Zuidoost.