The twelfth edition of Sonsbeek, ‘the largest international exhibition in the Netherlands of art in public space’, will be held in thirteen different locations in Arnhem and Gelderland in 2021, including the sculpture garden of the Kröller-Müller Museum. 39 works of art will be placed along a route that runs from the Eusebius Church and Collectie De Groen in the centre of Arnhem via Sonsbeek Park, Zypendaal Park and Buitenplaats Koningsweg to De Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kröller-Müller. The exhibition is the first iteration of the multi-year programme sonsbeek20->24 Force Time Distance – On Labour and its Sonic Ecologies, co-curated by Antonia Alampi, Amal Alhaag, Zippora Elders and Aude Christel Mgba under the auspices of artistic director Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung.
sonsbeek20->24 at the Kröller-Müller Museum
For sonsbeek20->24, the Kröller-Müller will host four new works of art in the sculpture garden. Cheick Diallo (1960, Bamako, Mali) is building a small slender pavilion, Le Fouta Organic, on the lawn at the Rietveld pavilion. Hidden under the trees, Julieta Aranda (1975, Mexico City, Mexico) will place her sculpture Time will tell: an unreadable script takes shape and then destroys Itself, which will be covered with local mosses and ferns in the coming year. At the back of the sculpture garden, we present First permutation: "how-hard-and-how-far-and-how-long" by Leo Asemota (1967, Benin, Nigeria), one of the three parts of his Sonsbeek Suite. In the museum, near the entrance, you can see Third permutation: "how-long-and-how-hard-and-how-far". The third part, Second permutation: "how-hard-and-how-far-and-how-long”, is on display at Walter books in Arnhem. Two ‘listening places’ by Sam Auinger (1956, Linz, Austria) can be found in the sculpture garden under the title xxxx_terrain.
See the map for the locations of the four artworks
Read more about the participating artists and their work on the website of sonsbeek20->24 or download the app
To coincide with sonsbeek20->24, from its own collection the museum is showing La Pièce, which Ger van Elk made in 1971 for Sonsbeek buiten de perken and a small selection of works by Stanley Brouwn, including his portrait of helene kröller-müller (2001).
Long shared history
The Kröller-Müller and Sonsbeek have a long shared history. Director Bram Hammacher was a member of the honorary committee since the first edition Sonsbeek '49: Europese beeldhouwkunst in de open lucht. His successor Rudi Oxenaar sat on the working committee of the legendary Sonsbeek buiten de perken in 1971. The sculpture garden contains lasting monumental reminders in the form of the two ‘Sonsbeek pavilions’ by Gerrit Rietveld and Aldo van Eyck, originally designed and built for Sonsbeek in 1955 and 1965 respectively. In addition to these two pavilions, sculptures from various editions of Sonsbeek have been given a place in the museum’s sculpture garden, such as Claes Oldenburg’s eleven metre tall Trowel (1971), Luciano Fabro’s La doppia faccia del cielo (1986) and Secrets of the waters (for Mnemosyne) (2008) by Ana Maria Tavares.
The Kröller-Müller Museum is a partner of sonsbeek20->24.
Cheick Diallo, Le Fouta Organic, 2021 foto: Marjon Gemmeke / links: Sam Auinger, xxxx_terrain, 2021, midden: Leo Asemota , First permutation: "how-hard-and-how-far-and-how-long", 2021, schroot/ scrap steel, rechts: Leo Asemota, Third permutation: "how-long-and-how-hard-and-how-far", 2021 twee klokken / two clocks foto's: Marjon Gemmeke / boven: Aldo van Eyck, Aldo van Eyck-paviljoen, 1965-1966 foto: Walter Herfst, onder: Gerrit Rietveld, Rietveldpaviljoen, 1954-1955 (herbouwd in 1964-1965 en 2010) foto: Marjon Gemmeke