KVdL Art: Katrin Korfmann

Since 9 January you can admire the work of artist Katrin Korfmann in our office. Go to our homepage for an impression of the work. In order to start our 25th anniversary splendidly, the art committee considered it a good idea to give the HOLI celebration photographs that artist Katrin Korfmann made in India a central spot in the entrance hall. It is an ancient Hindu festival, where new life and fertility is celebrated in spring. It is a festival of colour, during which the locals throw pigments in the most fabulous colours at each other while dancing and singing. Bags full, as you can see on the photographs. During the festival there seems to be no difference between rich and poor or between the various castes; a bit like our carnival. No, Katrin Korfmann does not suffer from fear of heights, as you can see immediately when browsing her website. She places herself high above ground level and sees the world from a bird's perspective. It must be very hard to capture the world and especially the people when making use of tripods of several metres high and construction cranes. People whose faces we almost never see, their poses and shadows determine who they are. She is interested in the public space, how people relate to it and to each other and how they move within that space. The background is formed by city squares, airports, playgrounds and temples. Her latest project is an interesting one. For a long time already art is not made in draughty attic rooms anymore. The man with a cap and easel is not often seen in the art world anymore. Many artists leave their homes and contract their work out. There is even a supporting industry, in which craftsmen cut out, cast and construct the sculptures thought up by artists. Katrin Korfmann photographed such a spot in China, in Hui’an, where numerous large-scale companies produce sculptures. In the enormous workplace, grey with grit, only the coloured clothing of the craftsmen and the electricity cables catch the eye. The sculptures under construction still only exist in parts and thus form one large image. This almost 10-meter wide photograph is part of a growing series about places were works of art – in the broadest possible sense – are realized. This will be a series to which we look forward with great interest.