1:1 Sets for Erwin Olaf & Bekleidung
16 November 2013 - 29 March 2014
Help create the art work Lapin Rose Robe Bleu
On 25 January 2014 Het Nieuwe Instituut launched a new section of Flemish artist Jef Geys' wallpaper entitled 'Lapin Rose Robe Bleu', on view in the 1:1 Sets for Erwin Olaf & Bekleidung exhibition. The general public were asked to send in pictures of children and these were then incorporated in to the design.
Artist and former teacher Jef Geys (1939) began collecting childhood photos of his pupils, family and friends in the 1960s. In his work 'Lapin Rose Robe Bleu" he alienated these photos from their familiar context, making them anonymous by drawing a black strip over the eyes with a thick felt pen and incorporating the photos in to a huge black and white photo collage. This piece made history as artist's wallpaper. It has been exhibited on several occasions, and each time the collage has been added to with new photos. In each location photos were gathered of children aged between 0 and 4 years old. It has turned in to a substantial collection: an enormous mosaic of anonymous children. By linking up photos from his own surroundings with those of the location of each exhibition Geys links daily life with art.