 |
 |
 |
| Artoonism 'Artoonism' is the name of the collaboration between four artists: Hans van Bentem, Pepijn van den Nieuwendijk (Cirque de Pepin), DJ Chantelle and Luuk Bode. Because of their shared love for cartoon-imagery, classic craftsmanship and the forgotten corners of art history, and their recycling of these influences into new works, the four decided to join forces.
Artoonism in the Third Degree In January 2001 MAMA, showroom for media and moving art, presented new works by the Artoonists. The third exposition 'Artoonism in the third degree' contained paintings, sculptures and prints by the four 'Artoonists'. The four Artoonists turned MAMA's showroom into their very own 'Hard-pop-temple'. Drawings in jumpy neon, references to Cambodian temple-ornaments, but also the latest technological developments - for some the new religion for others the Golden Calf - are topics in their work. Typically the work of the Artoonists is bulging with satire. Often they pop the sweet luring bubble of advertisements with sarcastic humor. Artoonists or 'Toonists' build their artworks with elements retrieved from Underground comics, Japanese manga and mass media, never tired of using evergreens like sex and religion, but also up to date subjects like genetic manipulation and artificial intelligence pass in review. Such as the portrait of a green figure on gigantic Nike-shoes. Its' creator Luuk Bode, portrayed this mouse-a-like Hulk with aureole and super muscular body. An invincible, new saint seems to emerge from the combination of Marvel- and Disney-DNA on Nike's. To come to a composition the artoonist takes inspiration from mass media, packages, advertisements, and of course from cartoons, whether it concerns Marvel, Disney or obscure Manga. To this he adds fantastic elements of science-fictional and mythological origin. According to the Artoonists: "Nowadays people spend more time in front of their PC, playing video games or watching TV, than spending time outside. So the media are as important as the world around us; Mario Bros is as real as the supermarket around the corner."
Cadavre Exquis When MAMA invited the four artists for a group show, they insisted to make a series of artworks on which the four of them would work together. During the meetings prior to this exhibition they started drawing together, just for the fun of it. This resulted in a hysterical series of 'Cadavres Exquis'. A drawing-paper was folded in four. One artist would start drawing the head, the second one the upper body, the next one the lower body. Each participant could only see what the others created until the last artist finally added the feet and 'Le Cadavre' was exposed. A golden recipe for a series of bizarre drawings. The bizarre, twisted figures of the best 'cadavres' turned out to be great wallpaper for the exhibition, underlining the artoonists alliance and underlying connection and kinship.
After the show (which took place February to March 2001) the idea of the 'cadavre' was taken into the third dimension, to a ceramic sculpture. Each Artoonist made a head of about the same size and an additional smaller part, not knowing how the other parts were going to look. All parts had a hole through the middle so in the end everything could be arranged on a big pin, like a kebab ('shaslick'). Not even the Artoonists were certain whether the result was a work of extreme beauty, ugliness or ridicule. It's probably all of it at the same time. The work was a centerpiece of the Artoonists' contribution to an exhibition in Bremen (Germany) on Dutch contemporary art ('Topologie der Erinnerung, The Netherlands Meets Bremen').
Several months later the Artoonists were invited to design a sculpture in honor of Marten Toonder, a Dutch master of cartoons. The design turned out to be a 7 meters high (approximately 22 feet) monumental statue; an obelisk standing on a bench. On each side of the obelisk is a relief, and in front of that a man-size bronze statue of one of his cartoon characters. Each Artoonist elaborated on one side of the monument, each side representing one of the four main force fields in Toonder's imaginary world. On top of the obelisk one sees Toonder's tools (brush and pen) and Tom Poes, one of Toonder's main characters, representing wisdom and reason, standing and ruling over Toonder's world. The statue was a high point for the Artoonists for now, but new more highlights are most certainly to come ...
(Source: Website of fellow Artoonist Luuk Bode.) |
Dead clowns, the four Artoonists
Artoonism in the third degree
Cadavre Exquis wallpaper
Marten Toonder Monument |
 |
 |
 |