Pum van de Koppel

With spaghetti and glue in hand, Pum van de Koppel tried to find a position within these 'tense tides'. With those ingredients, a structure was built on 24 November 2024 that may or may not have held up until the end. The same precarious fate awaited Nieuw Dakota and other cultural institutes. The work “As long as it lasts / Ten lange leste" cites a comforting power that the artist himself experiences from unstable things: postcard drawings, a pile of dirty laundry, your old bicycle, a student union, pasta pesto... Just as the cucina povera arose in times of need, Pum van de Koppel hopes to start from collective creativity as an answer to the new cultural rationing. While the structure collapsed after a few days, the evening's display of collective creativity with the spontaneous spaghetti institute proved as a rock-solid remedy for today's loss of perspective.

With spaghetti and glue in hand, Pum van de Koppel tried to find a position within these 'tense tides'. With those ingredients, a structure was built on 24 November 2024 that may or may not have held up until the end. The same precarious fate awaited Nieuw Dakota and other cultural institutes. The work “As long as it lasts / Ten lange leste" cites a comforting power that the artist himself experiences from unstable things: postcard drawings, a pile of dirty laundry, your old bicycle, a student union, pasta pesto... Just as the cucina povera arose in times of need, Pum van de Koppel hopes to start from collective creativity as an answer to the new cultural rationing. While the structure collapsed after a few days, the evening's display of collective creativity with the spontaneous spaghetti institute proved as a rock-solid remedy for today's loss of perspective.

With spaghetti and glue in hand, Pum van de Koppel tried to find a position within these 'tense tides'. With those ingredients, a structure was built on 24 November 2024 that may or may not have held up until the end. The same precarious fate awaited Nieuw Dakota and other cultural institutes. The work “As long as it lasts / Ten lange leste" cites a comforting power that the artist himself experiences from unstable things: postcard drawings, a pile of dirty laundry, your old bicycle, a student union, pasta pesto... Just as the cucina povera arose in times of need, Pum van de Koppel hopes to start from collective creativity as an answer to the new cultural rationing. While the structure collapsed after a few days, the evening's display of collective creativity with the spontaneous spaghetti institute proved as a rock-solid remedy for today's loss of perspective.

The paintings are summations of awkwardly doubting and carefree decision making. Along traces quickly drying paint originate raw shapes that refer to geometry but stubbornly remain fringed, as rocks. Rocks yet without identity, but with an assigned colour and place on the canvas. The understanding of the image is postponed by a processual and open painting to give room to non-sense, which functions as a humus layer for our construction of sense. At last, the subjectivity of the paintings comes forth with the titles and the rocks receive their script.

To perform a professional artist. A rendition of Gnossienne no. 5 with bike noises.

to be an unprofessional human

To perform a professional artist. A rendition of Gnossienne no. 5 with bike noises.

Audio part of the installation 'An attempt to live in'

My experience of being a student at the KABK comprised more movement than definition. Instead of formulating a conclusion to a period of artistic research, I learned to embrace the pivoting potentiality of "no". In these four years, during which the corroded misconduct and mismanagement came to light, "no" brought the community together in speculating about the other side of the equation, about what could be instead of what is. The omnipresent decay reminds me of my household, where mess lives together with care. The installation is a testament to the poetic imagination of art making. An expression where for comes after. - June 2023 ('for comes after' is coined by Sara Ahmed in the book 'What's the Use?', p.24)

My experience of being a student at the KABK comprised more movement than definition. Instead of formulating a conclusion to a period of artistic research, I learned to embrace the pivoting potentiality of "no". In these four years, during which the corroded misconduct and mismanagement came to light, "no" brought the community together in speculating about the other side of the equation, about what could be instead of what is. The omnipresent decay reminds me of my household, where mess lives together with care. The installation is a testament to the poetic imagination of art making. An expression where for comes after. - June 2023 ('for comes after' is coined by Sara Ahmed in the book 'What's the Use?', p.24)

Pum van de Koppel likes to look out of the window. From his (then) studio space you could look across the street into the office of the ministry of finance. In a daydream the idea emerged to collaborate with them. His imagination would see him composing an email behind his desk, drawing diagrams on the whiteboard and attending important meetings with his colleagues. In the collaborative spirit of the exhibition Peas and Carrots the wish for this project was initially to bridge the gap between the studio and the office. However, the focus gradually shifted from the bidirectional collaboration to the one-directional voyeuristic gaze itself. While looking through the window, at the blurry image of professionalism on the other side of the street, Pum van de Koppel realised with dread that after he would graduate from art school, the fictional layer that underlies the art context and that protected him in his artistic endeavours in the year prior, wouldn't be as self-evident as in the air-tight art school bubble. 'Best Regards,' is thereby a childish refusal to enter the next professional phase of civic life. It is an insistence to dwell on the moment and an attempt to stick to the artificiality of the fictitious office worker before departing into the more ambiguous outside. (photo by Lotte van Uittert)

I like to look out of the window. From my studio space you can look across the street into the office of the ministry of finance. In a daydream the idea emerged to collaborate with them. My imagination would see myself composing an email behind my desk, drawing diagrams on the whiteboard and attending important meetings with my colleagues. In the collaborative spirit of the exhibition the wish for this project was initially to bridge the gap between the art world and the financial world. However, the focus gradually shifted from the bidirectional collaboration to the one-directional voyeuristic gaze itself. While looking through the window, at the blurry image of professionalism on the other side of the street, I realised with dread that after I graduate from art school in two months, the fictional layer that underlies the art context and that protected me in my artistic endeavours in the last few years, wouldn't be as self-evident as in the air-tight art school bubble. 'Best Regards,' is thereby a childish refusal to move on. It is an insistence to dwell on this moment and an attempt to stick to the artificiality of the fictitious office worker before departing into the more ambiguous outside. - May 2023

A3 drawings after the performance ‘if you know what I mean’

During the three day exhibition I performed from 17:00 - 20:30 on the opening and from 11:00 - 18:00 on the other days. Resembling a corporate job my work was dictated by my watch, which alarm went off every half an hour or so. With the beep of the alarm I would alternate between two states: standing straight and aligned with the four axis of the tiled floor while moving intuitively along its lines / lying still under an unfolded structure drawing. The work tries to embrace the artificial structures we impose on ourselves (e.g. the grid, the hexadecimal number system, the time schedule), with a human longing for comfort in repetition. (photos by Helena Roig)

During the three day exhibition I performed from 17:00 - 20:30 on the opening and from 11:00 - 18:00 on the other days. Resembling a corporate job my work was dictated by my watch, which alarm went off every half an hour or so. With the beep of the alarm I would alternate between two states: standing straight and aligned with the four axis of the tiled floor while moving intuitively along its lines / lying still under an unfolded structure drawing. The work tries to embrace the artificial structures we impose on ourselves (e.g. the grid, the hexadecimal number system, the time schedule), with a human longing for comfort in repetition. (photo by Helena Roig)

How to be organised. How to deal with the insecurities of an adolescent. How to deal with responsibilities. How to get your shit together. How to be ambitious. How to be in control. How to be productive. How to overcome boredom. How to get rid of bad habits. How to wake up at the same time every day. How to go to sleep at the same time every day. How to bring order and structure to your day-to-day life. How to meditate for fifteen minutes every morning. How to take smart notes. How to get the most out of your education. How to stay in contact with your friends. How to make a website. How to read more. How to be confident. How to be the best version of yourself. How to retire at an early age. How to follow your passion. How to write an essay. How to outline your thoughts. How to make a mindmap. How to lessen your screen time. How to kickstart your day. How to make your mother proud. How to be more creative. How to form habits. How to lessen your sugar intake. How to better your posture. How to be assertive. How to prepare for a presentation. How to be a professional artist.

How to be organized. How to deal with the insecurities of an adolescent. How to deal with responsibilities. How to get your shit together. How to be ambitious. How to be in control. How to be productive. How to overcome boredom. How to get rid of bad habits. How to wake up at the same time every day. How to go to sleep at the same time every day. How to bring order and structure to your day-to-day life. How to meditate for fifteen minutes every morning. How to take smart notes. How to get the most out of your education. How to stay in contact with your friends. How to make a website. How to read more. How to be confident. How to be the best version of yourself. How to retire at an early age. How to follow your passion. How to write an essay. How to outline your thoughts. How to make a mindmap. How to lessen your screen time. How to kickstart your day. How to make your mother proud. How to be more creative. How to form habits. How to lessen your sugar intake. How to better your posture. How to be assertive. How to prepare for a presentation. How to be a professional artist.

I’ll have to retreat, and stand on our feet wasting time feeling fine

I’ll have to retreat, and stand on our feet wasting time feeling fine