In a box – a Rijksakademie exhibition made by artists for artists

On May 27th, in honour of our 150th anniversary, we will launch the very first artist edition in our history: ‘In a box – a Rijksakademie exhibition made by artists for artists’: thirteen artworks by Rijksakademie alumni in a handmade wooden box, curated by Aveline de Bruin.

‘In a box’ appears in an edition of 40 and reflects the breadth of the work done at the Rijksakademie. The box contains print works, textiles, ceramics, paintings, video, animation and more by artists Carlos Amorales, Yael Bartana, Rossella Biscotti, Sander Breure & Witte van Hulzen, Xinyi Cheng, Pauline Curnier Jardin, Meiro Koizumi, Gareth Nyandoro, Amalia Pica, Praneet Soi, Jennifer Tee, Nora Turato and Helen Verhoeven.

Aveline de Bruin has set up an exhibition with the works from ‘In a box’ in one of the studios of the Rijksakademie. This will be open to interested buyers by appointment from May 27th. The exhibition is also on view during the Open Studios from June 17 to 27.

At the same time, we are also releasing a special artist's edition. Claudia Martínez Garay (RA 16/17) has created a colourful print with a laser drawing entitled: 'Tupananchiskama (until we meet again)' in an edition of 150. This edition will also be on display and for sale from May 27th.

All proceeds from the box and edition will go to support the next generation of artists at the Rijksakademie. It continues the tradition of supporting artists by artists, which began in 2010 with a major auction of works by alumni at Sotheby's. The proceeds were used to establish the Artist Endowment Fund, which still provides for the working budgets of current resident artists.

If you are interested in the box or the edition please contact us through edition@rijksakademie.nl.

In Andean culture, time is cyclical and life is part of this cycle. Because of this, there is no word in Quechua for saying ‘goodbye’, as this marks an end. But there are several words to say until we meet again. The word Tupananchiskama, is one such example, meaning ‘until life brings us together’. It is never an end, but a promise of a next time. As an extension of this continuity, the artist considers it important to spread and help maintain the Quechua language, which is spoken less and less – a sign of colonialism’s continued power structures held over native communities.

The print’s colours and shapes are inspired by Andean colours and the sun. When you look directly at the sun and then close your eyes, your brain hangs onto its light and shape as a reminiscence of the past projected onto your eyelids. The image can be blurry, but it is still present. The laser-engraved drawing is inspired by the icon of breaking chains – those that have been broken and those that need to be – as a call to fight for equality and against racial and social discrimination.

Claudia Martínez Garay explores the socio-political memory and history of Peru. Focused particularly on native cultures and the Andes region, her work confronts relationships between official and extra-official visual archives, propaganda, iconography, and popular imagery.