Opening Friday 23 November 2012, 18.00h
Introduction by Toon Teeken (drinks, soup)
Finissage Sunday 2 December 2012, 15.00h
Lecture by Toon Teeken (Dutch)
A selection of 50 of the more than 80 unique handmade photo books from artist Toon Teeken on display.
And open on 24/25 November and 1/2 December, 14.00-18.00h
For more than 40 years artist Toon Teeken has been working on his photo books. In 1969 he composed the first spread of what would become more than 4000 spreads measuring 34,5 x 55 cm, joined in more than 80 handmade volumes.
Photographs, often made by the artist, form the leitmotif. Through the series the photographs are gradually complemented by drawings, newspaper clippings, handwritten text and cut outs, making the compositions more layered and complex.
From 2013, a series of 8 books with a selection of spreads from the 80 photo books will be published by Publisher Huis Clos and Johan Deumes gallery. Book design is by Piet Gerards. You can subscribe to these limited editions by filling in a form available at the exhibition, where + 50 f the original photo books will be on display.
It was via Facebook that HWW member Kim Bouvy reconnected with her former teacher Toon Teeken from the painting department at the Academy for Fine Art and Design in Den Bosch where she had been a student between 1994-1999. On his Facebook page, Toon had been posting snapshots of spreads taken from his amazing collection of self made photo books that sparkled the idea to ask Toon to make a small exhibition with a selection of ± 50 books from this ever growing body of work in the project space of Het Wilde Weten. This is the first (and maybe only) time Toon Teeken shows the books so extensively and not directly related to his paintings.
In the books, Toons work, life and passions come together: with cut outs, collages of overlapping and adjoining newspaper- and found images, drawings, paintings, personal photographs combined with texts and sometimes painting he creates an ever expending cultural landscape of images that is both personal and universal, a feast to the eye.
Because of the uniqueness and fragility of the books, we ask for your understanding of not being able to leaf through them on your own. On Sunday 2 December, Toon will be present and will show some of the books more ‘in depth’ for the interested public, accompanied by a short lecture about the books at 15h.
There is a special Facebook page made for the photo books where you can find more images.