Landscape Berlin, Berlin
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Landscape Berlin From February till the end of April of 2012, a new project by visual artists Viktor Baltus and Thijs Zweers will be presented in Berlin.Baltus and Zweers both graduated from the Art Academy in Arnhem (NL) and have a fascination with perception. Reason enough to devote their latest project in 2012 to one of the newest forms of perception, the Augmented Reality. In plain words: an added layer on the live camera image of a Smartphone. With the help of a computer program, an image of for example 20 x 30 meters high is set on a GPS location which can only been seen through a Smartphone. It gives the illusion that the digital image hovers in real open space. Berlin, a city with opportunities for new developments and a fast growing high artistic level, empty walls and modern architecture is the perfect stage for added reality. THIJS ZWEERS (NL) 1986Thijs Zweers graduated from the ArtEZ art academy (Arnhem, The Netherlands) in 2010. Since then he has focused on a very peculiar translation of digital imagery to detailed graphite drawings. This almost anachronistic act brings about intriguing images of a reality that Zweers finds to be autonomous. While the digital world is a product of mankind, the individual now has little to no influence on its workings. He or she is subject to the laws and outward appearance of this alternate reality. The graphite drawings themselves look like elaborate studies by an internet-biologist. Supposing that everything put online stays online – and that everything online is connected to everything – one can see the digital world as an autonomous biotope. A domain in which a continual dialectic process creates a whole the individual ‘user’ only catches glimpses of. Zweers’ impressions of these weightless images historicize the digital world that is so difficult to catch in time. VIKTOR BALTUS (NL) 1982Viktor Baltus’ work is based on his fascination with perception. Captivated by the variability of perception, his work is an investigation of the relationship between perceiver and perceived phenomenon or object. “We have a relative conception of colour. Lighted in a certain way, a green dike can come across as almost blue. Moreover, it is often the case that there is a huge difference between what we think we see, and what is actually there to be seen.” Even though Baltus is an experienced perceiver, he is conscious of the subjectivity of his perception. Still, he claims to be in search of a certain form of objectivity. Even if it is his perception that is portrayed in a painting, it is presented without passing judgment or giving an interpretation. This fascination with perception isn’t limited to the perception of colors. Baltus is continuously trying to discover remarkable shapes and forms. His paintings are rarely found on flat surfaces, but are hidden in the cavities of wooden bowls, on dishes, broken bench seats, small or large tondos, cigar-boxes, etc. These ‘found objects’ are what give his work its characteristic object-status. In it, form and depiction alternate at taking the lead. The work of Viktor Baltus is highly visual. With a gaze, bordering at being analytical, he scrutinizes colour, surface, dimension, light, form and their interaction. Narrative content is avoided to the greatest extent possible. Despite his quest for objectivity his work is all but formal. The amazement granted by his act of perception can be felt in each separate piece. Sara Lijftogt Zutphen February 2011 HOW DOES IT WORK?Go to Berlin. Download the free app at www.layar.com Go to one of the points on the map. (Maps of Landscape Berlin can be orderd by email and cost €1,-) Open the Layar App and search in the section Art for Landscape Berlin. Enjoy Berlin!
Thijs Zweers – Black orbs
Viktor Baltus – Found objects (Only visible with a Smartphone)
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