Communal Enthusiasm

On view: 9am–5pm, Monday–Friday until December 15
Open weekends: 1–5pm on September 16–17, September 30–October 1, and December 9–10

Since its foundation in 1948, the Jan van Eyck Academie has been welcoming artists of all stripes to Maastricht, the Netherlands. To celebrate over 7 decades of transdisciplinary experimentation and critical thinking, the academy presents Communal Enthusiasm.

Curated by former participant Pádraic E. Moore, the 75th anniversary exhibition brings together works by academy alumni, advisers, staff, and directors. With the oldest items dating back to the early 1950s, this exhibition activates the archive and brings to light overlooked artworks, some of which have not been seen since their completion. Also included are technological remnants, administrative material, and residues from previous exhibitions. Demonstrating how a propensity towards collaboration has always been a defining feature of the academy, Communal Enthusiasm invites to consider the question posed by Anton Vidokle: “What is work for an artist within our post-Fordist blur between life and work, freedom and alienation?”

The portrait presented by this exhibition is not comprehensive; this is not an exhaustive survey. Nevertheless, the artifacts making up this show highlight particular tendencies that distinguish the history of this organization. Communal Enthusiasm speaks of the secularization of art; the rise and fall of particular aesthetic trends; how from the post-war years onwards artisanal training in the arts gave way to technical skills and in more recent years to discursive forms of practice. Ultimately, this exhibition underscores the vital role organizations like the Jan van Eyck play in helping us imagine different ways of working, thinking, and living together.

Works on show by: Appie Drielsma, Raul Marroquin, Pieter Defesche, Silvia Baltus, C. Poerwadi, Ryan Gander, Megan Francis Sullivan, Alexandra Phillips, John Körmeling, Ruud Kuijer, Ben Brack, Wiel Arets & Wim van den Bergh, Harry Buckinx, Rudolf Bikkers, Knut Flatin, Bert de Hoog, Ron Bernstein, Hardi, Cedar Lewisohn, Rod Summers, Niek Hendrix, Servie Janssen, Gottfried Hundsbichler, Zohny Maguib, Linda Pollack, Petran Vermeulen, Geoffrey Salmon, Romy Finke, Dario D’Aronco, Imogen Stidworthy, Parasite 2.0, Margriet Thissen, Albert Troost, Yumiko Yoneda, Marine Kaiser, Orla Barry, Hooykaas/Stansfield, William PARS Graatsma, Navine G. Dossos, Lukas Smits, Andrea Éva Győri, Jo Frenken, Aleksander Johan Andreassen, Kristina Sedlerova-Villanen, Norbert Grunschel, Helga Paetzold.

Made possible thanks to the support of the Dutch ministry of Culture, the Province of Limburg and the city of Maastricht. Special thanks to the Irish Arts Council and LIMA, centre of expertise in the fields of preservation, research and distribution of media art.