Opening: Saturday March 15th, 17.00 – 19.00

andriesse ~ eyck is pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition Bling Bling, Carel Blotkamp, sequin works 2000 – 2025. On the occasion of Carel Blotkamp’s eightieth birthday, we are exhibiting an overview of his work from the past twenty-five years. For Blotkamp, who in addition to being an artist is also a distinguished art historian and critic, the importance of looking, and the wonder of it, is at the center of his oeuvre. With his shimmering works, he questions our conceptions of art and art history – as sequins are usually associated rather more with kitsch than art.

Existing images of famous artworks, and works he admires, often form the foundation of his practice. A postcard, poster or exhibition announcement, for example, becomes the surface for his colorful sequins. Sometimes he covers the image completely, sometimes he applies only a few accents. But he always provides the work with a new question or an extra dimension, on the basis of his extensive art historical knowledge.

In addition, the sequins reflect light in such a way that the unity between idea, image and materiality is largely disrupted. Thus, he often puts the viewer on the wrong foot, and with humor, creates confusion about what exactly it is that you see.

Centraal Museum, Utrecht is simultaneously presenting – from March 1st to May 5th – the exhibition Bling, Carel Blotkamp, sequin works 2015 – 2025. On the occasion of these exhibitions a new publication will also be presented, titled: Bling & Bling Bling, with an essay by curator Catrien Schreuder.

Carel Blotkamp (NL, 1945) is an art historian and artist. From 1982 he was professor of modern art history at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Blotkamp is the author of numerous publications and wrote studies on artists such as Mondrian, Pyke Koch, Carel Visser, Daan van Golden and P. Struycken. He also wrote reviews for Vrij Nederland, NRC Handelsblad and De Volkskrant. In addition, Carel Blotkamp has been active as an artist since 1967 and has exhibited his work frequently over the years, including at the Centraal Museum, Utrecht and Museum De Pont, Tilburg.