Jeroen de Vries / recent work I make spatial installations in which I apply or present the work of other people, mostly photographers and filmmakers. In my eyes this is a process not unlike that of making a documentary film about someone or something. Photographer and filmmaker Johan van der Keuken said it once like this: ‘Jeroen de Vries is totally autonomous and serving at the same time.’ I listen to what a place has to tell and build my story on what I hear, often with very minimal means, working in architectural spaces created by the likes of Hendrik Berlage and De Bazel, Gerrit Rietveld and Wim Quist, Bernard Tschumi and Jean Nouvel, Peter Eisenman, and Benthem/Crouwel. This presentation features recent work in places like Schindlers factory in Cracow, a water-tower in Madrid, an harbour warehouse in Rotterdam, a complex with the grave of Josip Broz Tito in Belgrade, a baroque 18th century courtroom in Porto, a 19th century wine-cellar in Paris, a converted skating hall in Tourcoin, the only surviving 17th century building in Rotterdam and on the premises of an modernist landmark tuberculosis hospital. Most recent is an installation of the work of Robert Capa, the oldest one is an installation of the work of Eva Besnyo. Capa and BesnyĂś, two major photographic innovators, both of Hungarian Jewish descent, lived as children on the same street in Budapest and remained friends for life. Eva felt that framing her photos and hanging them as art on a wall went against the nature of her work. For her the relationship between the place, the architecture and her images was crucial. The work I did with her in 1982 is my point of departure. That is why I have added it, together with Body and City (from 1998-2001), a project in collaboration with Johan van der Keuken and The World of Koen Wessing (from 2000-2001), two other key projects. The installations shown here are the result of the collective efforts of curators, builders, graphic designers, light designers, web designers, producers, photographers, film-makers etc. I am responsible for the architecture, sometimes (co)curated them and sometimes took on some of the other roles as well. JdV
Jeroen de Vries / documentatie