Human After All ends

Human After All: Ceramic Reflections in Contemporary Art ended this weekend. This exhibition of contemporary art in the Princessehof was scheduled to run for eleven months. Due to the COVID-19 regulations, the museum could only really open for four months, and then only to limited numbers of visitors. In total, the exhibition attracted more than 15,000 visitors in four months; almost three-quarters of the visitors from outside Leeuwarden came to the city especially for the museum. Despite all the restrictions, the Princessehof still attracted an additional 10,000 visitors to the city. According to public research, they spent an average of 110 euros each on food, drink, shopping and more. In this way, the museum still generated more than 1 million euros for the city during the difficult Corona period.

From 10 October 2020 to 5 September 2021, the National Ceramics Museum in Leeuwarden presented an exhibition of work by ten artists from all corners of the world. Objects ranged from the intriguing clay animations by the Chinese Geng Xue (1983) to the hypnotic sculptures, photos and video work of the talented Dutch artist Mariken Wessels.

All the artists’ works addressed primary human characteristics and aspects: La Condition Humaine, humankind with all its limitations, insecurities and self-confidence, beauty and cruelty. The exhibition was part of a series of leading contemporary art presentations of international stature, compiled by curator Tanya Rumpff, who retires this autumn. Rumpff’s curtain call, Human After All, was a triumph, receiving a score of no less than 8.4 from visitors.

Words of praise
There was no shortage of press attention: Museumtijdschrift found the exhibition ‘spectacular’, art magazine See All This called it ‘an interesting, slightly anarchic collection of distinctive voices, from internationally acclaimed artists to emerging talent’. According to Beeldenmagazine it was ‘Heavy fare, tastefully served’, and Trouw gave it four stars and praised it for highlighting the role of ceramics in the contemporary art scene: ‘Thanks to film and digital techniques, the possibilities with ceramics for contemporary artists are almost unlimited, and the exhibition covers the entire range.’ A total of 145 articles appeared with a combined media value of €577,302.

Education
The specially developed educational programme resulted in a total of 2400 pupils, teachers and supervisors from primary, secondary and vocational education visiting the exhibition. The Princessehof could adapt to the sudden changes to the regulations and developed the museum-to-school programme during the lockdown: museum teachers brought the exhibition to the classroom while the museum was closed. In addition, with the tightened measures, there was an online museum programme that schools could use. They were digitally guided through the exhibition with a prezi, and theoretical or practical assignments were developed for in-depth investigations of works they found interesting. In the end, the successful formula of the design competition was also adapted. Ten proud students from Frisian schools (from the Marne College in Bolsward to the Leeuwarder Lyceum) made their own animations, sculptures and tiles inspired by the themes in the exhibition. The pupils’ work was displayed in the exhibition during the last month. ‘It‘s fantastic that my daughter’s work (a heart with flowers) can be displayed there!’ exclaimed a proud parent on social media. Schools also made eager use of the specially developed pre-school education programme. A museum teacher dressed as Princess Marijke visited the children at their schools and at the museum to talk about the exhibition. This ‘royal’ visit was highly appreciated.

Collaboration
The exhibition generated special, local collaborations such as the installation by Klara Kristalova (1967, Czech Republic), who filled the last room with three islands of moss, ferns and other plants. Together with internationally renowned florist Thierry Boutemy and landscaping firm Snoek Puur Groen, from Grou, Kristalova created an impressive design with living greenery. The choice of plants was inspired by the flora in the forest where Kristalova’s studio is located. Snoek Puur Groen took care of the plants during the exhibition.

Korea
The Princessehof will focus on South Korea for the forthcoming cultural year. The major autumn exhibition KOREA. Gateway to a rich past, on view from 16 October 2021 to 21 August 2022, immerses visitors in the rich, ancient culture of Korea on the basis of themes such as food culture, ideals of beauty and rituals. Enchanting celadon from the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), pure white porcelain from the Joseon period (1392-1897), musical instruments and costumes, and works by contemporary artists Yee Sookyung (1963), Juree Kim (1980) and Kyung-Jin Cho (1987) show that ceramics still play an important role in  South Korea today. Masterpieces from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul are coming to Leeuwarden especially for the exhibition, and these objects will be on display in the Netherlands for the first time. The Princessehof is creating this new exhibition with a sounding board group consisting of Dutch Koreans and Korea specialists.

The Korea Year in the Princessehof also provides a perfect opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of trade relations between the Netherlands and South Korea.