2023-11-02 (V. van der Wijk)

For the Kunstroute Leiden 2023 I was invited by Charlotte Icke-Lemmens to create an exhibition at the Alien Art Gallery in Leiden, shared with Vincent Icke. I was immediately very enthusiastic about their illuminated home and very pretty garden. I selected 8 sculptures, among which 6 that were for the first time publicly on display.  

This photo shows an overview of the exhibition inside, with in the back the always successful sculpture Two Men Late at Night of 2005. 

The sculpture Between Heaven and Earth of 2021 was placed centrally and the sculpture Hug of 2022 on the side.

I was especially pleased to notice how well the Hug sculpture was praised: "Het is indrukwekkend dat een koud en zwaar materiaal zoals brons in staat is om zoveel gevoelig en warmte uit te stralen."

The new sculpture No Time of 2023 was placed on the wall near the entrance where many visitors could gather and move the balanced mechanism by hand. 

Outside, the freshly finished Plumage I Flamingo of 2023 was placed in a colourful flowerbed with visitors moving it into a variety of poses ...

... while nearby the sculpture Freedom of 2023 was placed in a cosy open space in the grass.

To attract attention, the sculpture Between Heaven and Earth of 2011 I had placed in the front of the garden near the road, welcoming all visitors.

The last sculpture on display was 'The Three Cheerers', which was still work in progress and unfinished. The exhibition was an opportunity to test the sculpture and to try out the interactive actuation by the visitor.