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![The Greek goddess of victory is fat today]( "The Greek goddess of victory is fat today")
infoNike
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![Don't be too late]( "Don't be too late")
infoWhat do you think?
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![Universal passport]( "Universal passport")
infoPas sport is also a sport.
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![Identity politics bible]( "Identity politics bible")
infoExclusivity in all kinds of hegemony
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![I said a tower]( "I said a tower")
infoI said a tower.
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![No title]( "No title")
infoHe changed the function of the football net into a sculpture.
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![No title]( "No title")
infoHe changed the function of the football net into a sculpture.
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![No title]( "No title")
infoHe changed the function of the football net into a sculpture.
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![Where you at]( "Where you at")
infoAs a person raised in a totalistic culture with intense hierarchy, he could not be wholly himself. Now he is eager to be honest and speak with himself. He used to make expressionistic paintings. He enjoys direct contact with the physical materials. Materialistically, he prefers to work with that he can manipulate easily, such as light and straightforward. That is why he uses fabric and bendable materials with spray. Besides, he prefers vivid and fluorescent colours or black and white for visual impact. He chooses the best option to present the maximised contrast. It resembles the struggles of human beings. As if he loves his identity, but there are matters that he is not happy about. He does not sketch the outcome because he believes improvising and impulsive energy are not transferable by repeating the sketch on a bigger scale. Currently, in his atelier, he produces sculptural paintings. From his bachelor years until a year ago, he had made paintings on frames, but he stopped it and started finding interesting objects first before transforming them. When he brings it to an art space, it becomes an object that is part of the whole intallation. Sometimes, it seems irrelevant, but that is the point of creating uncanniness in his settings. For example, in his last project, “Welcome to my stadium” , a video work “Where you at” is hidden under the ladder behind a big canvas. It makes you feel like something is monitoring you and following you in the space, but finally, the drone camera finds an artist with a costume who hid under the exact spot where the screen was at the exhibition. Indeed, he wants to present questioning triggers with endless possibilities by setting up semiotic narratives in the layers of his works. Since everyone has subtle associations with daily life, he often uses everyday objects to make an immersible scene. Sometimes, he dresses up in a silver costume and goes outside to perform. Even if he feels remote from the others, he feels freedom by performing so. He believes ‘anxiety’ is all human matter. Silver or fluorescent colours are good to talk about this matter in modern society because they are the most artificial, modern and human-made. Due to his mysterious setting, viewers might not be able to follow his ideas or his conclusion, which is what he wants. In this way, he challenges people to develop communication in their minds.
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![With bye]( "With bye")
infoOttokaji presented his performance video installation at W139 on March 2022.
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![Everybody likes to understand]( "Everybody likes to understand")
infoWe all fight in a different way. The top layer covers the bottom.
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![Untitled]( "Untitled")
infoWe all fight differently. The top layer covers the bottom. Standards and borders.
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info
Artist Ottokaji Iroke has been struggling in his mind with the isolated situation, and one point, he tried to find an activity to feel free his mind, like a bird on the sky. He decided to make a bird shape kite on the sky. Wind is something out of control but you also can create it by your movement. Maybe ‘Go with the wind’ and ‘Go against the wind’ mean the same thing. Life is filled with a lot of uncontrollablity, so you need something to make you feel free. The video on the bottom was Ottokaji’s recent project ‘With bye’. He wants to say good-bye to his anxiety.
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![untitled]( "untitled")
infoOttokaji painted it during the pandemic period. He had no family, lover, or gathering. It was a great time to immerse myself in the creation.
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![Colourful bird-droppings]( "Colourful bird-droppings")
infoMy situation as a young artist and bird droppings in my daily life inspired this work. 4 pieces of croissants are 1 euro at Albert Heijn.
Websites
He creates a diverse body of artworks, performances and scenarios out of combinations of objects and materials that are taken from his daily life. He appropriates the language of painting and sport for suggestional transformation to explore urban tensions.
www.ottokaji.comSocial media
Curriculum vitae
Education
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2018 - 2020Painting M.F.A Groningen, Frank Mohr Instituut diploma
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2009 - 2017visual communication design & painting B.F.A Hongik University diploma
exhibitions
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2022“Equidistance” AFSLAG BLV, Museum Belvédère Heerenveen, Netherlands Three young artists, partly educated and living in Groningen, took the concept of equidistance as the starting point for this exhibition. In mathematics, a point is said to be equidistant from a set of objects if the distances between that point and each object in the set are equal.’ www.museumbelvedere.nl/en/afslag-blv/ Group
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2022“With bye”, Host... W139 Amsterdam, Netherlands Ottokaji Iroke presented his installation 'With bye' at W139 as a programme of 'Host...' in March. This work shows the ironic gap between reality and the individual artist. w139.nl/en/hosts2022-2/ Group
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2022With Permission From the Officer PUNT WG Amsterdam, Netherlands Ottokaji participated in a show curated by Àngels Miralda as part of a show, 'With permission From the officer'. It was a relay painting project with other artists such as Salim Bayri, Jorge Luis Barragán Castaño, Clementine Edwards, Lucy Cordes Engelman, Kimball Holth, Ottokaji Iroke, Nokukhanya Langa, Donglai Meng and Rotem Stern. It was about VISA permission for international artists who wanted or want to stay in the Netherlands, which restricted them within national borders for a period of time. puntwg.nl/en/with-permission-from-the-officer Group
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2021Lucht Kunstpunt Groningen, Netherlands The corona measures have hit the art sector enormously. Exhibitions and art grants have been canceled or postponed. It is an uncertain time for many artists. With the Lucht project, Kunstpunt Groningen wants to support artists and designers from the municipality of Groningen. 87 Groningen artists have received a stipend as part of this project with which they have created new work. On their page you can read more about the work they have created. With a billboard exhibition from September 27 to October 17, we present all artists spread throughout the city of Groningen. Ottokaji presented his work 'Dream droppings' which was inspired by bird-droppings in the Netherlands. www.kunstpuntgroningen.nl/en/lucht/ Group
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2021Leisure love Het resort Groningen, Netherlands During the past corona year we have all been recreating like crazy in the outdoor public space. We saw people fighting boredom, social isolation and growing corona bellies by racing bikes through the forest, balancing on surfboards in the canals and throwing balls around in the park. The perfect time to create new leisure activities. Het resort organises 'Leisure Love' to help people stay fit, amused and healthy by having artists invent new sporting activities. Activities that revolve around shadow play, playing god and sinking boats, among others. During the work period, Jiskefet and their English Sports were mentioned. On the one hand, it seems a recognisable game, a certain (sports) language is imitated, but the longer one looks, the stranger it becomes. Suits, attributes and playing fields play a major role in this. Under the supervision of Philippe Wolthuis (former resort resident of S01E01) they made props and instructions for the activities. LEISURE LOVERS: Eirik Jahnsen, ENT, Hannelore van Balkom, Lee McDonald, Ottokaji Iroke, Philippe Wolthuis www.hetresort.nl/leisurelove.html Group
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2021Kunstsalon IJL Galerie Noord Groningen, Netherlands The world is under the spell of corona, the pandemic that affects us all and that puts our society on edge. The virus itself is invisible, elusive, thin as the atmosphere. Corona is an unclear concept for artists. The virus puts arts on hold, negative incomes and opportunities to expose its practice. consequences of the virus interesting. The tightness, the adjustment, the distance, the worry, the sadness, the fear. But also the space, the possibilities, the changes, the necessity. Does the virus stimulate creativity or is it paralyzing? Do concrete images emerge or does the elusiveness lead to abstraction? Is there urgency experienced from every perspective? How thin is the atmosphere? www.galerienoord.nl/expo/kunstsalonijl/ Group
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2021Art away Art away, Herestraat 72 Groningen, Netherlands The project will take place on the 23rd and 24th of April in the old ‘Men at Work’ building in the Herestraat 72 in the city centre of Groningen. Art Away is building on the ‘memory’ of a shop that comes with the location in order to test a new approach to being professionally active as a creative in the times of Corona. Art Away is a project from Groningen - for Groningen and has been created as a direct reaction to the Corona crisis and its major impact on the creative sector; It’s major impact on our personal professional lives. The stages and audience that our work needs to become alive have been locked down and space to exhibit works has become scarce. The project uses the unusual circumstances to create a new format aiming away from the individual and researches a new approach to the shared experience of art. It enables and encourages to create - to meet fellow professionals and see each other beyond competition. www.kunstpuntgroningen.nl/en/agenda/art-away/ Group
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2020Tales of unseen Re;search Gallery (NP3) Groningen, Netherlands Ottokaji had a duo show with Vanina Tsvetkova. He presented his paintings and installation work named 'plastic mountain' www.youtube.com/watch?v=go8hXMeapJU Duo
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2019The way we work KINK, Drents Museum Assen, Netherlands It was his first exhibition in the Netherlands as a part of Frank Mohr Instituut. He presented his painting installation. Group
International exchanges/Residencies
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2023EKWC - European Ceramic Workcenter, Oisterwijk, NL Oisterwijks, Netherlands Resident artist from Jan 26th - April 19th 2023, ekwc.nl/
Sales/Works in collections
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2021The Underworld Private collection from Amsterdam Groningen, Nederland I sold 3 paintings at Art fair; Art away.
Publications
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2022Equidistance Poster Museum Belvédère Limi Kwon & Dongseok Min Heerenveen, Netherlands www.instagram.com/p/CeZoLxWIbxy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Designer Limi Kwon & Dongseok Min studied at Gerrit Rietvelt, and currently based in Amsterdam. They made a poster and a book will be launched in a month.
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2021Leisure love Book Maaike Knibbe Maaike Knibbe Groningen, Netherlands www.hetresort.nl/leisurelove.html Maaike Knibbe is an artist and also a writer from Groningen. She is researching social studies in Gent currently. She interviewed participating artists for Leisure love which was held by Het resort. Based on that interview she wrote about this project.
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2020"Enjoying uncertainty, beyond the border” Book Frank Mohr Instituut, Groningen Ottokaji Iroke Groningen, Netherlands It was Ottokaji's dissertation. Contents are about his background and thoughts with graphics, photos, poets and a diary with references.
reviews
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2022Kunst-stukjes Blog/Vlog Jurjen K. van der Hoek Heerenveen, Netherlands jurjenkvanderhoek.tumblr.com/post/689498166474752000/afslag-blv-hervormt-in-tentoonstelling He wrote a review about my show 'equidistance' with two other artists, Karina Puufin and Celina Bermudez.
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2020JEGENS & TEVENS, Interview, Cooking Art – a conversation with Ottokaji & Melle Aussems Aussemson with Ottokaji & Melle Aussems Magazine Jegens en Tevens, Michiel Teeuw Groningen, Netherlands jegensentevens.nl/2020/08/cooking-art-a-conversation-with-ottokaji-melle-aussems/ Frank Mohr-alumni Melle Aussems and Ottokaji just finished their Master studies. Our new Northerly correspondent Michiel Teeuw talked with them about working, bird droppings, (in)stability, potatoes and ambiguity.
Awards and grants
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2021Lucht Kunstpunt Groningen I received € 2,000 from Kunstpunt, it was for a billboard group show in Groningen.
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2021Corona bridging Grant Mondriaan fonds, Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands It was € 14,000 from Mondriaan fonds for the artists who had cancelled shows.
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2019Hanze Scholarship Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen Groningen, Netherlands Hanze University finances this scholarship. The scholarship amounts to € 5,000. I received this in the second year of my study at Frank Mohr Instituut. It was for a good international student.
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2018Holland Scholarship Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science together with Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences, Groningen, Netherlands This scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as well as several Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. The scholarship amounts to € 5,000. I received this in the first year of my study at Frank Mohr Instituut. It was for the promising student.