In the middle of the night, all things look the same. With the absence of light, colors disappear. What is left, are shapes, textures and the reflection of light. NOX is a multidisciplinary exhibition at gallery OODE, curated by Niek Schoenmakers and Marleen Kurvers.  An ode to  the color black.

BLACKNESS

Black absorbs all light and every color. Black is mysterieus, dark, creepy. People tend to be afraid in the dark. Imagine a complete white room with one window. You can see the shadows in the corners. The absence of light. Now imagine yourself standing in the same space at night. Everything is dark. What will you see? Shapes, lines, the reflection on a surface….

‘No colors anymore, I want them to turn black.’

In the beginning of 20th century architects painted their projects white to fully experience the power of their geometric composition. When every shape and surface is of the same color, a different kind of beauty appears. This mono-concept inspired the idea of NOX. Instead of white, black is chosen as a starting point to investigate three themes: LINE, SHAPE and SURFACE. Three themes blurring the boundaries between design and art. The result is a juxtaposition of contemporary design and orphaned art – art from closed museums and art institutions –  The pieces are carefully selected for their individual qualities, but when presented in one color, they suddenly become related. By eliminating the distraction of color, the visitor is invited to focus on the composition, the spatial presence and the subtle differences in texture.

ART

The artworks in the exhibition are selected for their one of a kind composition and visual presence. There is a broad selection of techniques, ranging from woodcut, etching to photography and textured paintings. Many of the artworks are orphaned art pieces, waiting to be discovered. OODE is known for its special approach to   these orphaned art pieces by renewing the value and putting them in a contemporary context.

 DESIGN

What do you see when you look at an object? Its function or its aesthetics? When color is eliminated, what remains is the shape, the material used, its texture, the shadows it makes on the walls and floor. NOX presents a broad variety of objects, ranging from vases, lamps to chairs and tables. A mixture of established designers and new talents seen at the recent graduation shows at the Design Academy and ArteZ.

 THE BLACK ARMY

Jolan van der Wiel for Post Modern / Pepe Heykoop / Adrianus Kundert / Seungbin Yang / Wisse Trooster/ David Derksen / Dirk vander Kooij / Vantot / Britt Roelse / Cor Unum  / Kiki van Eijk / Fabian Barrero – Carsenat / Oscar Zieta / Lennart Bras / Atelier Robotiq / Roland Pieter Smit / Mae Engelgeer / Rop van Mierlo for New Window / Tom Frencken / Job Martens / Chris and Jody Vingoe / Andrew Clausen / Studio Roex / Paul Ketz / Rick Tegelaar / Stephan Siepermann / Sabine Marcelis / Jolijn Pasmans / Sigve Knutson / Visser en Meijwaard

 NOX

25-11-2016 / 26-01-2017

AT OODE

OPEN // Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12am to 18pm

OODE // Marleen Kurvers, Singel 159a, 1012 VK, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, +31(0)6-14100376 // info@oode.nl