11/05/2017 - Studium Generale Lecture 'Fear' - Aukje Dekker
Aukje Dekker (1983, Rotterdam) is a visual and conceptual artist who lives and works in Amsterdam.
After completing her second master of fine arts at Central Saint Martins in London she came back to Amsterdam with the feeling that it now was time to kiss ass in a black turtle neck. Nauseous from this prospect she and two fellow artist decided that if they wanted to be in a museum, they had to start their own museum and founded the Eddie the Eagle Museum. Borrowing its name from Eddie the Eagle Edwards; world’s worst ski jumper of all time, it is a good juxtaposition between the weight and seriousness of the art world with it’s cherry ‘the museum’ and the courage to dare to fail within this art world.
Alongside Eddie the Eagle Museum, Dekker has also always independently been working on her quest to fight the rules of the art world. She graduated from the Rietveld without any work of her own, only participating in the works of all her peers. She has turned her previous gallery into a very successful airbnb location taking her share of the money and sell out. She has been duplicating paintings to research if their value increases or decreased in this situation. Made 20 paintings according to a manual and priced them from cheap (ugly) to expensive (nice) to check the Dutch buying behaviour. Or, like in Stick or Twist, gave complete responsibility of the completion of her paintings to her buyers by involving them in her process and letting them decide if she should stop or continue (this had a price). Her latest and first solo at her new gallery, Gabriel Rolt consisted of solely collaborations.
Collaborating is something Dekker likes in general hence her new club SEXYLAND in which the collaboration concept explodes. Shared with 365 different owners, the club is for one year everyday filled and converted into the ideas of that day’s boss.
Cool CV
Dekker graduated with honours from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in 2006. After this Dekker completed a double Master’s of Fine Art at Sandberg Institute Amsterdam and Central St Martins, London. Dekker’s work has been exhibited in various national and international galleries and museums including Ultra Super New Gallery, Tokyo, JP (2015), Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, NL (2012), IMT Gallery, London, UK (2011), and the recent successful exhibition “Stick or Twist” at Gallery Vriend van Bavink, NL (2016) and One for All All for One Gallery Gabriel Rolt NL (2017). Alongside her projects as an independent artist, Aukje Dekker is the co-founder and director of the Eddie the Eagle Museum and Sociëteit SEXYLAND a conceptual club in Amsterdam North. Represented by Gallery Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam NL
What can I be good for:
- Female 33
- Dutch and English speaking little bit of Spanish/French and a bit more of German.
- Mother of 3 year old boy, so practiced in patience.
- Smoker, but can do that outside and wash my hands after. Good brainstormer; can listen and have input.
- Left handed.
- Hearing impaired (both ears medium)
- Hard worker. Pretty sensitive but not a cry baby. Handy, can work with drill, wood, saw etc.
- Can work with epoxy, polyester, polystyrene
- Can paint and mix paint (acrylics/ oils)
- Can be pretty precise - But with really precise work a bit inpatient
- Can make photos and master Photoshop
- Can make semi-professional videos and master Final Cut Pro. Ok handwriting
- Weird and inappropriate at small talk
- Know my fair bit of art history. Not an intellectual but intellectual
- I have my opinions - Like Manet over Monet
- Perfectionist. Pretty funny (stupid to say, too important not to mention.
