Treehouse NDSM Exhibition Open Call

Treehouse NDSM will be organising a series of exhibitions focused on the experience of art through the 5 senses. We are launching an Open Call for artworks for the first exhibition of the series, which will focus on touch. The show will be on view for 4 weeks in November/December 2024.

We invite artists from all disciplines to submit their application. Note that a requirement for the submitted work is that it can be touched by the audience during the exhibition period.

OPEN CALL: “THE ART OF TOUCH”

Deadline for Submissions: August 25th, 2024
Exhibition Dates: Nov 14th to Dec 8th, 2024

THEME OF THE EXHIBITION

Humans experience the world through their senses. We explore our surroundings with our eyes; we smell the freshly baked bread from the bakery with our nose; and hear the birds singing from the tree outside with our ears. Through our skin, we also learn to discover the world and define our boundaries. In daily life, we unconsciously use multiple senses at the same time. What we perceive physically through our senses is remembered and connects to memories, emotions and habits. But what would happen if we experienced the world through just one sense?

When we talk about art forms and media like photography, painting, drawing, sculpture or even architecture, we often define them as merely “visual”. This categorisation tends to obscure the vital importance of the tactile characteristics that are evoked by looking at an art (object). For the overall experience of an artwork, we need to feel the roughness of the brushstroke of a painting, the coldness of the stone, the warmth of the wood, the smoothness of ceramics, and the sharpness of the graphics.

In this exhibition, the focus is on experiencing art(objects) through the sense of touch. Central to this exhibition is the question ‘How do you experience an art piece through touch?’ ‘What does touch evoke in you physically, emotionally or metaphorically?’ We invite artists to answer these questions and translate them into a tangible object.

Please submit your application through this form

‍

SELECTION OF ARTISTS
‍
The curators of the exhibition, Treehouse resident Johannes-HarmHovinga and the director of Treehouse NDSM, will select 10 artworks that bring different reflections on the topic of Nature rights. With a background in landscaping, Johannes’ artistic practice and life have been influenced by the iconic Robert Smithson, a land artist dedicated to address social and environmental issues through his work.

The artworks will be exhibited on the 100m2-mezzanine of Treehouse NDSM’s Pavilion. There will also be space for one artist to set up a community art project based on the topic to take place before or during the exhibition. The jury will consider the relevance to the theme and the medium used, and will be especially interested in giving a voice to artists from Amsterdam Noord. An artistic fee will be given to each artist participating in the exhibition, with a separate, additional fee being available for the community art project.

Please keep in mind that Treehouse NDSM is not a traditional gallery space. Treehouse NDSM supports multi-disciplinary artists in bringing their projects to life by offering 100 individual and affordable studios for rent, as well as access to exhibition spaces and the opportunity of participating in a vibrant and collaborative artistic community. It is an artistic incubator where artists and audiences use their imagination to create their vision of the world.