'Curating the Campus' is a sculpture park in the making. Since 2001 we have offered a space to a leading artist whose work in one way or another enhances the mission or identity of deSingel.
The French artist Pierre Bismuth (b. 1963, Paris) was responsible for the sixth work on the campus. His oeuvre comprises drawings, collages and videos and is often based on the principle of the deconstruct
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'Curating the Campus' is a sculpture park in the making. Since 2001 we have offered a space to a leading artist whose work in one way or another enhances the mission or identity of deSingel.
The French artist Pierre Bismuth (b. 1963, Paris) was responsible for the sixth work on the campus. His oeuvre comprises drawings, collages and videos and is often based on the principle of the deconstruction of patterns of perception. For this he uses existing material such as pictures from newspapers and magazines, and film and sound extracts; he then decontextualises them and presents them as ready-mades. For Manifest 4 in Frankfurt (2002), for example, he created a 'Babylonian' version of the Disney classic 'Jungle Book', in which each character speaks another language (Mowgli Spanish, the panther Bagheera Arabic, the tiger Shere Khan English, the malicious snake Kaa Italian, the elephants German, the pushy vulture Dutch!). His piece at deSingel, 'From Hot to Something Else', consists of graffiti on seven interior and exterior walls. The following words are applied in various colours: Hot / Spicy / Piquant / Sparkling / Glimmering / Dazzling / Radiant. This is a series of synonyms. Each successive word is synonymous only with the words before and after it, so that there is a shift of meaning as one goes through the sequence. Not only are the graffiti a reference to a subculture, but Bismuth's work also underlines deSingel's policy option of choosing lively and stimulating contemporary art.
From Hot to Something Else, 2001-2006
graffiti in various colours on several interior and exterior walls at deSingel
Hot (surgical green), director's office
Spicy (planet blue), cloakroom toilets
Piquant (electric blue) cloakroom window
Sparkling (hope blue), inner garden
Glimmering (Marseille blue), large pool
Dazzling (blue-violet), north facade
Radiant (purple), south facade