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TORCH is very proud to present an exhibition of new works by legendary artist Woody van Amen, whose career spans over 60 years. Several personal fascinations continually return as themes in his work, such as the Matterhorn and different Hindu symbols. Known as the artist who brought pop art to the Netherlands in the 1960s, Woody has relentlessly followed his own path to this day, taking inspiration from not only New York, but also from his many visits to places such as Singapore and Bali to create his distinctive paintings and sculptures.

The exhibition premieres artworks from several ongoing series. Woody has patented the shape Taxat, for which he created a three-dimensional symbol out of an existing design of double crosses, similar to the swastika. He found the basis in the upholstery of the back seat of a Singapore taxi. In 2004, a stainless steel Taxat sculpture was placed in his hometown of Rotterdam, and the symbol continues to appear in his work to this day. On the Indonesian island of Bali, which he has visited countless times since the 1970s, Woody developed a deep interest in symbols from Hinduism. For the series Mata Hari, he incorporates the tikar: traditional, patterned mats used for anything from sleeping to making sacrifices.

About the Artist

At 87, Woody van Amen (1936) still works in the same Rotterdam studio he moved into in 1964 after having spent two years in New York. Here he witnessed the rise of pop art with artists like Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. After his return, he became the most prominent Dutch pop artist. Later, he would create classic artworks and symbols such as the Electric Chair (1964), Ice Stack (1970) and Taxat (1985).

Equilibre is the first exhibition in the year of TORCH’s 40th anniversary.