“The One That I am Not”
Drawing yourself, And OTHERS, without Othering the other or yourself
Date: July 22-July 26, 2024
Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Language: English and Dutch
Location: Museum Cobra Amstelveen
Tickets: via the link
This year, the eighth edition of Jonas Ohlssons’ Summer school takes place at Museum Cobra. From Monday 22 to Friday 26 July, participants will have the opportunity to explore their creativity together with artist Jonas Ohlsson. The program consists of substantive art and philosophy lectures and lots of drawing. The Summer school will end with a festive presentation of the works created by Class of ’24.
Summerschool
Ohlsson is an artist and creator of drawings, installations and objects. His art is as multifaceted as his artistic practice with plenty of provocation and humor. Special guest lecturer of this edition is Kenneth Aidoo, an artist who studies the social position of people from the African diaspora through film, paintings, drawings and video installations. There will also be model drawing and, like last year, Taneesha Sijmons will be a guest.
The Summer school is from 22 to 26 July from 10.00-17.00. Cost is €325 per participant including materials, coffee/tea and entrance to the museum. There is a discounted rate of €275 for participants up to 30 years old.
Practical information and daily schedule can be found here.
Exhibition Pierre Verger – The One That I Am Not
Theme: The One That I am Not.
Drawing yourself, And OTHERS, without Othering the other or yourself
Besides familiar topics such as flow, the theme of this edition is derived from an exhibition currently on show at Museum Cobra. The One That I am Not shows the important photographic oeuvre of Pierre Verger, a French photographer, ethnologist and writer who captured encounters with people and cultures during his travels. The photographs are a visual record of the encounter between Verger and the one he was not, but whose life and wisdom he wanted to understand and share.
Jonas:
‘Of course we will do what we ALWAYS do, trying to get in touch with our intuition, finding joy and play, opening up the gate to the imagination. Finding FLOW. ‘The special theme during this edition is that we will work with drawing portraits, and again drawing from model, Taneesha. We will debate about what it means to draw yourself, can we do something ELSE than classical drawing from a mirror or photographical image of ourself. Drawings about yourself, SO a MUCH broader idea of what a portrait could be, AND talk about what it means to have a position, yes, identity. HOW do you draw about the other? How are you honest to your self-image?’
Pierre Verger investigated the connection between Afro-cultures on both sides of the ocean, whose emergence in America was a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade. He studied the lives of these people and wanted nothing more than to become one of them. From his own origins, he distanced himself as much as possible. At the same time, anno 2024, you cannot get around his white, privileged position. This touches on themes around identity politics:
Jonas:
‘I have experienced the same with my travels in faraway countries. Who can travel, who can visit who, who does the framing, is there an economic imbalance? And who will do the final editing of a photography and film? Who has the power over the narrative? I experienced it myself, when I came to Bijlmer and started making a SKOR project on Hip Hop in the Bijlmer. Oh I had such good intentions, but oh how that project was full of misses and well-meaning opinions and ideas, not full-blown racism, or was it? It was certainly a case of ignorance.’
About Kenneth
Kenneth Aidoo is a visual artist who explores the social position of people from the African diaspora through film, paintings, drawings and video installations. He graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in 2019 with a series of portraits, which explored the everyday experiences he had in the Netherlands. Other topics in his work include the triangle connection between Ghana, the Netherlands and Suriname, and what it is like to have a tri-cultural identity. Aidoo has exhibited both in the Netherlands and an international show in Antwerp, Belgium. He has been nominated for the Royal Prize for Modern Painting in 2021 and is one of three winners in 2022. His work is in private and public collections.
Kenneth Aidoo, fotograaf: Dylan
About Taneesha
Taneesha Sijmons is a sensuality, relationship and intimacy coach and erotic dancer. Through her work, she empowers and supports people to discover their relationship with themselves, their partner(s), their bodies and embrace and deepen their sensual well-being. As an erotic dancer, she embodies the celebration of women, demonstrating the power of empowerment. Through her performance art, she emphasizes that nudity and sensuality need not be seen as taboo and uses her art forms to exhibit the beauty, magnetism and freedom within sensuality.
Taneesha Sijmons, fotograaf: Juliane Falk
About Jonas
Jonas Ohlsson (born 1967, Örebro, Sweden) is an artist and creator of drawings, installations and objects. He also composes music and performs as Blodfet & DJLonely. His art is as multifaceted as his artistic practice with plenty of provocation and humor. Collaboration also plays an important role in his work: drawing and making music together with others, like with grandma Fanny, to achieve new surprising results. Ohlsson’s background in electronic music permeates his artistic process, with plenty of attention and space for intuition and free association. Ohlsson also teaches at the KABK and Design Academy in Eindhoven. He has also given workshops in Boston, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Los Angeles, Aruba, Xiamen and Geneva.
Jonas Ohlsson
Ticket sales
Ticket sales instruction:
1. Click on the link
2. Select July 22
3. Select summerschool and 10 a.m.
4. Follow the next steps
5. Checkout
Only a limited number of tickets are available.
Anyone over the age of 18 may register, no experience or prior knowledge is required, but a love of drawing is desirable.
Questions about ticket sales? From Monday to Friday between 09.00 and 17.00 you can call 020 547 50 37.