Six life-size public art works of art are being made at the GGD's injection site at the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam. The makers respond to Covid-19.

Together with the Rotterdam art podium Murals Inc. and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, CBK Rotterdam has invited six painters to create work that responds to the pandemic. They go to work on large monumental canvases outside the vaccination location of the GGD on the Van Nelle site. The artists jointly form a visual report of the exceptional period we are currently experiencing. The participating artists are: Willehad Eilers / Wayne Horse (1981), Niels 'Shoe' Meulman (1967), Eveline Schram (1989), Naomi King (1984), Anan Striker (1988) and Lars Breuer (1974). The artists make the work on site and their canvases can be seen until 31 July 2021.

 

Pandemic as subject
Now that the vaccination campaign is in full swing, we hope that the 'weird' Covid time will soon be behind us. With a few million shots to go, the pandemic seems almost over. But what happened? Are we safe now? And for how long? The three organizations that were involved in the plan to have artists reflect on these questions decided to use the area around the Van Nelle site – which has been used as a sampling location since March – as a location for visual answers to these questions.

 

Artists
The six artists work on canvases measuring eight by four metres, which are set up next to the entrance to the injection site. Everyone makes their own work, on their own canvas. Only when the first artist is ready does the next one start. In this way a visual report develops in which everyone is given the opportunity to work independently, but within a successive series. The painters and artists have been chosen for their specific and own visual language. Together they bring a broad perspective to the question of 'Are we safe now?? '.

 

Partnerships
The collaboration between Murals Inc., Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and CBK Rotterdam is the first with these three parties. Three areas of expertise come together; Murals Inc. as the specialist of murals, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen with an international network of artists and CBK Rotterdam as the party with expertise in the field of art in public space.

 

Schedule

Willehad Eilers / Wayne Horse – start: Wednesday 16 June
Niels 'Shoe' Meulman – starts July 1 (during Art Rotterdam)
Naomi King – starts July 5th
Eveline Schram – starts July 10th
Anan Striker – starts July 15th
Lars Breuer – starts July 20th

 

There are three canvases on display. Cloth changes take place when all three cloths have been painted. When the last canvas is ready, the work that has been visible the longest is replaced by a new canvas that the next artist will work on.

View here the video made by Marieke van der Lippe.