Jules van Iperen
The unique collaboration between art platform PARK and Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg continues. On Saturday, June 28, the second edition of PARK@Schouwburg will open with a new exhibition featuring works by Jochem Rotteveel, Nina van de Ven, and Frank Koolen in various spaces of Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg.
With this edition, PARK not only brings visual art inside the walls of the Schouwburg but also invites the audience to look with fresh eyes. Towards color and movement, towards local stories and human peculiarities. The works do not serve merely as decoration but as co-players in the spaces. They add color, humor, and meaning to the environment. Thus, the Schouwburg becomes not only a stage for theater but also for contemporary art.
Nina van de Ven – Stretching Pete & other stories
In city café Benee unfolds the universe of Tilburg-based Nina van de Ven, where local history, subcultures, and symbolism intertwine. Her drawings and ceramic works tell stories that may seem light-hearted or absurd at first glance, but upon closer inspection prove to be layered and critical. In the ceramic tableau Stretching Pete – which will remain on view until March 22 at museum van Bommel van Dam in Venlo – Van de Ven pays a contemporary homage to Peestamp, a notorious folk figure from Tilburg. Through his skeleton and a series of mysterious symbols, she connects folklore with personal imagination and current themes such as identity and manipulation.
Van de Ven (1988) works in Tilburg and has her studio in NS16. She weaves elements from mythology, religion, pop culture, and local stories into a new, associative visual language. She has previously exhibited at Ruby Soho, EKWC, De Pont, Art Rotterdam, and Cove Park (Scotland). Her work has also appeared in publications such as Sticky Collection (UDC), Love Island (Wobby.club), and The Head, the Torso, the Legs and the Feet (Nieves).
Heleen Anna Fotografie
Jochem Rotteveel – Lights, Color, Action
In the foyer, an explosion of color captures the attention of visitors. Jochem Rotteveel’s mural not only serves as a visual statement but also responds to the theatrical context in which it is situated. His work is an ode to light, movement, and improvisation. With colored foils intuitively applied to the wall, Rotteveel creates a choreography of color and form. The composition pulses like an energy wave towards the theater halls, as if literally launching the visitors into the performance. His direct, physical approach evokes associations with action painting but in a contemporary, playful variant.
Rotteveel (1976) has developed a unique way of painting with foil, where process and improvisation are central. Like action painters, he works in the moment. His work has been showcased at Art Rotterdam, Art Busan, Art Taipei, Estampa Madrid, BCMA Berlin, De Hallen Haarlem, and Pantocrator Gallery Shanghai, among others. It is included in the collections of, among others, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and Stedelijk Museum Kampen.
Frank Koolen – Het Mensbewijs
In the city foyer Boove, amidst showcases, tables, and chairs, the sculptures of Frank Koolen emerge: colorful, grotesque, rock-like heads, in relation to handmade furniture and a collection of carefully composed objects. The small installations recall museum displays, but with a playful and slightly absurdist twist. Here, the actual past is not the focus, but rather a personal attempt at human interpretation: a collection of traces, memories, and rituals. Koolen’s project The Human Evidence poses the question: what do we keep, why, and how do we tell who we are?
Koolen (1978) studied at HKU, De Ateliers, and the Rijksakademie. His practice is interdisciplinary and encompasses sculpture, installation, painting, and performance. He recently had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde (DK), showcased work at the Middelheimmuseum (B), and created public artworks such as the Monument for Future Happiness in Drachten.
