This September we share our space with a special neighbor, in the occasion of their 30-year jubilee: Ramakers gallery (Toussaintkade 51).
From September 1st to October 6th, 2024 Open from Thursday to Saturday, 12:00-17:00. Sundays, 13:00-17:00. Read more on: galerieramakers.nl
With works by Eelco Brand, Guido Geelen, Judith Maria Kleintjes, Marian Bijlenga, Hieke Luik, Michel Hoogervorst, Sjoerd Buisman Warffemius, Klaus Baumgärtner, Maarten Brinkman, Veron Urdarianu, Jan van Munster, Reinoud Oudshoorn, Ton van Kints, Christien Rijnsdorp, Willy de Sauter, André Kruysen, Cor van Dijk, David Nilson, Johan de Wit, Yumiko Yoneda, Bob Bonies, Michael Jacklin, Niko de Wit, Ossip, Vittorio Roerade, Frank Halmans, Julie Cockburn, Pat Andrea, Michael Johansson, D.D. Trans, Geert Baas, Joncquil, Maria Roosen, Ton of Holland, Wido Blokland, Babs Haenen, Mat van der Heijden, Ien Lucas, Azul Andrea
Ossip ‘3-2-2019 F.I.E.R.’ assemblage 130 cm h x 90 cm x 45 cm, 2019
Galerie Ramakers, also located at the Toussaintkade, nearby Quartair was founded in 1994. For their jubilee, the founder Catalijn Ramakers, wanted to generously showcase all their artists, therefore the space needed to be expanded beyond Ramakers, spilling into Quartair’s space. A walking path was opened between our backyards, so that the visitors can easily walk between the two venues. Two-dimensional works are shown in their gallery at nr. 51 and Quartair is furnished with three-dimensional works.
header image: nog zonder titel 2023 – 2024; artwork by Johan De Wit (BE) papier, harsen, ijzerpoeder, pigmenten 66 x 50 x 14 cm
Seeing Sounds is an interdisciplinary performance by Kaja Majoor featuring Diederik Smulders on the cello, Ricardo Oliveira on percussion, and Majoor on the violin.
The program includes graphic scores by Morton Feldman, Mark Applebaum, Pauline Oliveros, Anas Qadamani, along with original scores by Kaja Majoor.
Saturday, 24 August, 2024 at 16:00 – free entrance
With Seeing Sounds, Majoor investigates how graphic scores can be used to create visual representations of sounds, giving both synesthetes and non-synesthetes a chance to experience music in a multi-sensory way. Exploring the phenomenon of synesthesia through graphic scores, illustrator and violinist Kaja Majoor combines different disciplines through colours, shapes and movements. The scores are projected on a screen in order to give the audience the chance to follow both the improvised music as well as the score.
Recently graduated at the Royal Conservatoire Masters in violin (NAIP / New Audiences and Innovative Practice), Majoor has been working on the project Seeing Sounds for the past two years. As an outcome she has created 5 graphical scores to be performed in collaboration with cellist Diederik Smulders and percussionist Ricardo Oliveira, as a trio at Quartair. Before the concert, Kaja will give a lecture on graphic scores, synesthesia, and her NAIP Master journey.
Upcoming Saturday, July 6th, we will be hosting a movement workshop focusing on practices of “dribble”, dodging, “esquiva”.
“Dribble” as in dodging obstacles through sudden quick movements, aims to achieve a loose body. The loose body means a body living in the present, a body ready to fight; a body that dances to handle the everyday, surviving societal and colonial violence. At the same time, it dances to write history, to celebrate memories, to shake control and colonial “peace”. On this day we will move in order to write narratives, and imagine ways of publishing knowledge through dance and orallity.
Parcela de Tierra is a movement research collective created out of the need of shared spaces for bodies displaced from their own environments. Organised by designers, activists and performace artists Elisa de la Serna and Lara Silva Santos, they invite Yadhira de León to facilitate this workshop.
Parcela de Tierra seeks to reclaim space and to question Eurocentric, institutional and repressive environments in which popular culture has little to no room to flourish. It strives to hold space and to facilitate performances based on improvisation, connection and affection. Collaboration with grassroots initiatives is an essential part of the collective’s practice, for the creation of a support network that transcends institutional borders. Check out their other events planned this week.
Saturday, July 6th 16:30 doors open 17:00-18:20 movement workshop on dodging, “esquiva”, protection, self-defense and theatrical games 18:20 break 18:40-19:30 round table discussion about the challenges of publishing and re-imagining ways to publish 19:30-20:00 cooling down and closure
Quartair is proud to have Ildikó Horváth as artist in residence this month. By developing a spatial audio installation and a series of performances, the artist highlights the relevance of aural perception, searching for the role that sound plays in our relationship with Earth and gravity. Inspired by kinetic toys such as spinning tops or roly-poly toys, her material research centers ceramic objects of various sizes and shapes that can be animated to maintain motion for a certain time, while the audio technology interacts with the ceramic pieces.
The resulting work aims to facilitate a conscious listening exercise that is integrated with tangible matter, movement and digital technology. In the work digital sound processing is understood and employed as an interface between various physical realities: installation objects, sculptures, audience, performers and maker, in order to embrace bodily experiencing and sensory encounters with fellow entities.
During the 2 week long period at Quartair, Ildikó will further develop the installation setup along with the soundscape, diving deeper into the possibilities regarding composition and narrative. She will closely work together with movement performers from various backgrounds: Melody Nolan (circus), Niek Vanoosterweyck (mime) and Amit Palgi (dance), focusing on the feedbacking dynamics between performers, movement and sound.
Open rehearsal, Wednesday, 26th June at 20:00 the public is welcome to the joint performance by Melody, Niek, Amit and Ildikó.
Conceptual and sound design support: Zeno van den Broek, Michele Abolaffio, Mark Ijzerman Audience interaction advising: Ludmila Rodrigues With the generous support of Creative Industries Fund NL, Mondriaan Fund, Het Niemeijer Fonds and The Grey Space in the Middle
For the past semester, fourteen students in the second year of Interactive Media Design of the Royal Academy of Art / KABK, have developed works for their course ‘Client Assignment’. The client, Festival Cinekid asked the students to design interactive works relevant in an age of ‘monoculture’, that motivates the sense of extraordinary in children.
Monday, 3rd of June, from 17:30 to 21:30. Free entrance.
“Smoothed, slicked, liked, we live in a world of the greatest common denominator, ‘the age of averageness’. From film to fashion and architecture to advertising, our creative industry is dominated and defined by conventions and clichés, tested, checked, and ironed out. Every kid watches Paw Patrol, we all look like Kim Kardashian and we’re flocking to the cinema for another Despicable Me sequel. In 2024 we should focus on unique makers and stories, throw the average overboard, and celebrate being different. Critical thinking, creative freedom and a different path, just act extraordinary, because it can’t be crazy enough.”
This was the assignment brief that Cinekid gave to the I/M/D students. For the past three months, they have been designing interactive installations that motivate the extraordinary, critiques the influence of technology on our social appearance, and subverts the effect of digital influencers. Their works are showcased on the 4th of June, allowing visitors to interact with their works: ranging from avatar creators, arcade-like video games, and a wide array of instruments.
With works by: Alex Sigmars, Basia Jagiello, Beverly Lau & Ye Ni Jeong, Tianjiao “Ghost” Qiao, Jessica Abderhalden, Khushi Purohit, Mads Rosairus, Maja Mikulska, Marc Palmhoj, Milla Zeitvogel, Olesya Lakshtanova, Thijs ‘t Hart, Vedang Supatkar
16-24 May 2024 Opening Thursday, May 16th from 7PM to 10PM
Exhibition hours Tuesday to Sunday from 4PM to 8PM (Monday closed)
Finisage during Hoogtij #77, Friday, May 24th from 7PM to 23 PM
Queer Leiden University, QLU, presents their second exhibition, “The Queer Geobacter”, where thirteen queer artists explore this year’s theme through various mediums. With works by Braidon Hobzek, Fester Vogels, Erik Peters, Mila Narjollet, Rizq Naherta, Ipek Şahin, Shana de Villiers, Bel McLaughlin and Tehani Amarasuriya, Gabriel Kolesar, Vanda Vlasic, Sadie Girigorie, Lukas Vonk, and Juli Jaworski.
The Geobacter, which the exhibition’s title derives from, is a microbial species that has evolved to be able to eat and digest toxic waste in radioactive environments. QLU proposes a metaphorical approach to this exchange to encourage conversations about how practices of consumption relate to queer survival. Exploring the concept of the queer Geobacter to think about how queer people can learn to adapt, digest and find substance and fullness amidst difficult conditions or in situations of political dyspepsia.
With thanks to the JEDI Fund for Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity 🏳️🌈
Program Opening | Thursday, May 16th: 20:00-20:15 Symbiotic Intuition (performance) Bel McLaughlin & Tehani Amarasuriya throughout the evening: Disgust Bar – performance by Gabriel Kolesar Project ITC – installation-performance by Rizq Naherta
Friday, May 17th: 17:00-19:00 Soft Life Felting (workshop) Kat Cosgrove
Wool craft is an ancient practice, our relationship with wool as a material goes back thousands of years. Although historically the wool industry was traditionally dominated by men, wool craft has been reframed as a domestic feminine activity; it has also become a vital mode of queer joy and collectivity, as queer crafting circles boom. Crafting with wool is an enjoyable stress-relieving activity; the combination of the flow state entered when using needle-felting techniques and working with soft wool has calming benefits for the nervous system. It can provide a much-needed softness in our sometimes challenging everyday routines. Using Ethically sourced wool, together we will learn how to shape and create a wool bacterium using felting techniques (as well as a little history about woolcraft) which you can take home at the end of the session! Whether you are a felting novice or a seasoned pro, we will share knowledge and skills together.
Saturday, May 18th: 16:30-18:30 Queer Botany (conversation & plant swap) Dr. Steven Lauritano
Experience the “strange, lurid, almost reptilian” world of orchids, a botanical family described by artist Star Feliz as “the most beloved freaks of the forest.” Together, we will explore the importance of these plants as emblems and embodiments of queerness. Art historian Steven Lauritano will share the story of Charles Darwin’s encounter with Catasetum macrocarpum, a variety of orchid that led the scientist to question his very concept of “species.” Then we will delve deeper into these themes by reading aloud excerpts from Whitney Davis’s text on Queer Beauty. Finally, we will open the conversation, inviting questions and sharing stories related to queer flowers, “plant gays” (both historical and contemporary), and other varieties of expression rooted in the “self-renewing generativeness” of nature. Additionally, participants are encouraged to bring their favourite plant with them to the event. Following the conversation, we will facilitate a “cultivation exchange” / a plant swap for anyone interested in adding to their plant family. Reading materials will be provided on-site.
work by Mila Narjollet
Sunday, May 19th: 15:00-20:00 QLU Community hangout An alternative to (cop-filled) pride come join QLU for a community hangout. Bring snacks to share, games to play, or just your queer beautiful selves and good vibes.
Tuesday, May 21st: 15:00-20:00 Queer Clothing Swap
Hoogtij, Friday, May 24th: 16:00-22:00 Project ITC – Rizq Naherta 19:00-23:00 Disgust Bar – Gabriel Kolesar
Showcasing diverse mixed-media artworks by queer artists from various backgrounds, the exhibition features thought-provoking discussions to amplify queer voices, explore the nuanced aspects of reclaiming space, and platform the diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community.
With this exhibition, QLU aims to honour the resilience of queer communities under difficult circumstances, while highlighting the internal processes of queer survival. By drawing inspiration from the remarkable adaptability of the Geobacter, QLU invites to explore the complexities of queer resistance and adaptability in the face of societal oppression.
Queer Leiden University – QLU creates a safe and inclusive space for the queer community. Its mission is to support young queer artists, celebrating their coming together and the beginning of the journey in bringing queer art and queer narratives into the renown art space that has long been dominated by cis-heteronormative groups.
Quartair proudly presents Myra-Ida van der Veen, performing during the Rewire Festival 2024. Curated by our member Mike Rijnierse, who has been coaching the artist / musician since last year, the performance Second Breath will be a site specific performance developed within the acoustics of Quartair. Second Breath will be shown 3 times per day during the festival, as part of Proximity Music – a program put together by iii.
‘Second Breath’ performance by Myra-Ida van der Veen, Rewire Festival 2024. Photo by Pieter Kers
Second Breath performance times:
Friday 5 April 14:00-14:30 | 17:00-17:30 | 20:30-21:00 Saturday 6 April 14:00-14:30 | 17:00-17:30 | 20:30-21:00 Sunday 7 April 14:00-14:30 | 17:00-17:30 | 20:30-21:00
Free entrance. Limited number of seats per show: 40 (doors will be closed after the performance starts)
Second Breath is a performance that delves into the physicality of sound as it moves through the primal essence of the voice: the breath. Through this, the artist unravels the intricate relationship between the human body and the ethereal vibrations that emanate from within. When one sings, they fill their lungs with air. The air flows out, and by shaping different parts of their body, they create certain sounds: temporal voices, temporal breath. Drawing inspiration from the fascinating anatomy of frogs, van der Veen ingeniously crafts an environment that blurs the lines between choir, performance, and choreography.
Check out video documentation produced by iii/Tanja Busking:
Coming Hoogtij#76, Friday December 1st, six contemporary makers from the masters Non Linear Narrative (Royal Academy of Art/KABK), will be showcasing their thesis research in a playful and open manner. In this event a myriad of complex topics regarding care, cultural identity, gender, knowledge, light and death will be explored. Despite the multiplicity of these projects, there is a cohesive undercurrent that binds all of these artistic practices together: the concept of change. All of the works deal with a change or transformation, be it in a philosophical, ideological, cultural or physical manner, that responds to and questions the way we navigate through society.
Echoes Of Reflection: What Remains in Light of Change includes works by Alessandro Caccuri, Marta Cuccurullo, Lode Dijkers, Kai Jiao, Michela Meliddo and NVDP.
During Let’s Swagger, we will look back 30+ years into Quartair’s early collaborations, screening the fashion show of SWAGGER’s collection 92/93 and hosting a quiz-concert by Mono Lisa, followed by a DJ set of Jan Sun.
Swagger’s fashion show took place in our primal times, exactly on 20 September 1992. Designers were Ann Demeulmeester, Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, Orson & Bodil, Dirk Bikkembergs, The “Duffer” of St. George. Mono Lisa was also one of the first bands to ever perform in our space, in 1991.
Dress up! Dress with a swag!
Saturday, October 28th, 2023 doors open 19.30 screening Swagger Fashion Show 20.00 Mono Lisa quiz-concert at 21.00
Mono Lisa consists of Wim van Egmond (Guitar), Harrie Busser (Guitar), Frans Beskers (Guitar), Patrick Pruisken (Drums & Keybords), and Peter Belt (Bass). Mono Lisa was also one of the first bands to perform in our space in 1991.
Thirty-two years ago, Mono Lisa played at our project space before Quartair’s name even came to be. The band then realized that this event would be the pinnacle of their success and decided to stop right there to pursue other careers. Two years ago, with the three decades of Quartair’s anniversary approaching, they teamed up again to play their music and celebrate the big event. Then what to play was the question. While their own material would be obviously too complex, it would also be too subtle for the abominable acoustics of Quartair’s space. They decided to hand-pick a selection of almost forgotten pop songs that might work for the occasion. Because some of the songs may be barely recognizable, Mono Lisa will transform their concert into a musical quiz, where the audience actively participates in the guessing and listening game.
See you at Quartair! And dress up! Toussaintkade 55 The Hague
As artists and human beings, we stand in solidarity with Palestine. One cannot remain silent when there’s a war against a people who is threatened in their very right to exist. Be vocal, donate and spread love for Palestinian people. We do not support any form of violence.
Photo documentation of an evening of performances around food cultures – from growing, preparing, cooking, desiring, tasting and digesting. Museumnacht Den Haag 7 October 2023
Photos by Helena Roig
With works by Alejandra López, Cecilie Fang, Jana Romanova, Lars Holdhus, Marcin Liminowicz, Nael Quraishi, Trang Hà, Zeyep Burça Oral and Andrejs Polkans.
