Ron Mandos Gallery Best of Graduates 2024
Credits Jonathan de Waart 25.7.2024
From 26.07.2024 - 15.09.2024, Ilva Nieuwstraten’s work Niksnut / Good for Nothing will be exore information about the work can be found here. For inquiries into the works click here.
Ron Mandos Gallery:
“For Best of Graduates 2024, Ilva Nieuwstraten (KABK 2024) presents Niksnut / Good for Nothing, a video installation that examines the toll of modern-day life on mental and physical health. Her work captures serene scenes in various parks around The Hague, where she practices mindfulness by immersing herself in nature and doing nothing. The artist lies in the landscape, letting ants crawl over her nose and feeling the touch of sand on her skin, transforming these moments into ‘living paintings’. Through this, she challenges the pace and pressures of contemporary society, advocating for a more balanced, grounded existence.
Nieuwstraten’s unique blend of sound design, moving image, gardening, writing, and meditation stems from her rich educational background and diverse experiences. Her time studying Interactive / Media / Design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and Film & Moving Image at Tokyo Zokei University shaped her multi-disciplinary approach. Additionally, her immersion in Butoh at the Dairakudakan Artists Collective and her training in Biodynamic Farming at Warmonderhof add layers of depth to her work, connecting the physical and spiritual aspects of her art.
Her video installation reflects her personal journey and struggles with mental health within a competitive capitalist society. Nieuwstraten’s history of burnout, combined with her Zen Buddhist studies at Great Vow Zen Monastery and Zen River Temple, influence her art deeply. She views creating art as a means of staying grounded and connected, integrating meditation with her artistic practice.’’
“For Best of Graduates 2024, Ilva Nieuwstraten (KABK 2024) presents Niksnut / Good for Nothing, a video installation that examines the toll of modern-day life on mental and physical health. Her work captures serene scenes in various parks around The Hague, where she practices mindfulness by immersing herself in nature and doing nothing. The artist lies in the landscape, letting ants crawl over her nose and feeling the touch of sand on her skin, transforming these moments into ‘living paintings’. Through this, she challenges the pace and pressures of contemporary society, advocating for a more balanced, grounded existence.
Nieuwstraten’s unique blend of sound design, moving image, gardening, writing, and meditation stems from her rich educational background and diverse experiences. Her time studying Interactive / Media / Design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and Film & Moving Image at Tokyo Zokei University shaped her multi-disciplinary approach. Additionally, her immersion in Butoh at the Dairakudakan Artists Collective and her training in Biodynamic Farming at Warmonderhof add layers of depth to her work, connecting the physical and spiritual aspects of her art.
Her video installation reflects her personal journey and struggles with mental health within a competitive capitalist society. Nieuwstraten’s history of burnout, combined with her Zen Buddhist studies at Great Vow Zen Monastery and Zen River Temple, influence her art deeply. She views creating art as a means of staying grounded and connected, integrating meditation with her artistic practice.’’
Credits Jonathan de Waart 25.7.2024
Credits Jonathan de Waart 25.7.2024.
Credits Jonathan de Waart 25.7.2024.