December 2009 - March 2010
http://www.nietnormaal.com/
From December 16th 2009 to March 8th 2010 a major art exhibition that allows a large audience to experience different works will be held at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. The exhibition, entitled: Niet Normaal · Difference on Display, features the work of internationally renowned artists who in their work address a defining question of our time: what is normal and who decides?
Even as technology and progress generate new opportunities for people of all sorts, shapes and sizes, we seem to be striving to become ever more uniform. The market and the media increasingly determine how we look at ourselves and at each other. Perfection is the norm.
What is this norm, and who actually satisfies it? Where do we draw the line? At a facial wrinkle, a depression, at someone who isn’t interested in getting ahead, at a visible prosthetic device, taking pills to improve intelligence, at major cosmetic surgery?
Artists create space for diversity with humor and insight. Works by among others Marc Quinn, Marlene Dumas, Viktor & Rolf, The Chapman Brothers and Aernout Mik will be exhibited.Science, games and design will also be featured, and there will be a separate movie theater. In addition, performances, discussions, film screenings, lectures and parties will be held. The exhibition and parallel programming will engage, confront and offer alternative perspectives. Rebellion and humor alternate. Art and science come together to confront urgent questions facing today’s society.
Niet Normaal is ambitious and prestigious. This international project has a mission, is of a high artistic quality, and is directed toward a wide audience. Niet Normaal stresses education, outreach and accessibility, and collaborates with SKOR, Waag Society, Kunstenaars & Co, film festivals and debating centers in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other major cities. Design of the exhibition will be executed by Concern. NAi Publishers releases a richly illustrated full-coloured publication with essays exploring a diversity of issues. KesselsKramer develops the advertising campaign. Niet Normaal is supported by many parties, both financially and in sharing expertise. Achmea and the VSBfonds are the project’s principal financial sponsors.
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