Bonnefantenmuseum delivers 'Exile on Main St.' ~ Humour, exaggeration & anarchy in American Art

Written by Hugh Pinedo Wednesday, 16 March 2011 23:18

Maastricht, NL - February saw the opening of the exhibition Exile on Main St. Though the title comes from the famous double LP by the Rolling Stones, the exhibition concentrates on the work of nine North-American artists who have not yet reached the general public, despite the fact that they have been active for some time already. A continent with such a penchant for mainstream expression in all areas of culture will necessarily be confronted with a counter movement that questions the drive for success and puts it in perspective. On display through 16 August, 2009 at the Bonnefantenmuseum.

As Main Street and Wall Street tumble over one another at the present juncture, and Wall Street is forced into a well-nigh marginal position, the ‘undercurrent’ in society and art begins to carry more weight. One omen was the fact that the Republican election candidates McCain and Palin presented themselves as mavericks. In art, we talk about ‘outlaws’, ‘independents’ or ‘artist’s artists’, etc. From a social point of view, we equate this turnaround with crisis, but in art we can catch our breath a little, leave behind the saying ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ and once more attach importance to content and authenticity.

Such apparently intangible artists as Richard Artschwager, William Copley, Steve Gianakos, Alfred Jensen, Peter Saul, John Tweddle, John Wesley, H.C. Westermann and Joe Zucker deserve attention because their completely independent and highly individual positions, which undermine all traditional values, are less subject to the terrorisation of superficiality and the market. It is an era in which we can look at things afresh and search for real values.

The exhibition resembles a remake of the 'Club des Incomparables' from Raymond Roussel's Impressions d'Afrique, which was once filmed by Federico Fellini as E la nave va. A complete catalogue will accompany the show, with essays by Robert Storr and Alexander van Grevenstein, and reproductions of all the works presented in the show.

An extended parallel programme will be developed in the fields of arts, literature, music (the phenomenon of singer songwriter by example) and film; with debate and lectures under numerous activities. A series of nocturnes will further take place on Thursdays in the museum, from March to July.

The power of independence

Music, film and debate during Exile on Main St.

From 5 March to 16 July, the museum is open on Thursday evenings from 20:00 to 22:30. Thanks to a subsidy from the Mondriaan Foundation, the museum is able to provide twenty evening programmes of music, film and debate. The aim is to show the theme of creative individuals who follow their own path outside the commercial mainstream, in topical matters seen from various perspectives: five concert evenings with Live in the Living, five film evenings, five debate evenings and five programmes of initiatives from the vicinity of the museum. To give you an impression: on 5 March, Henk Hofstede and Perry Blake will give a concert, and on 16 April, George Lawson from the Fund for the Performing Arts and Lex ter Braak from the BKVB Fund will come and explain their approach to subsidy criteria and mavericks. You can find the complete programme on www.bonnefanten.nl

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