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Marinus Boezem
Sign the sky above the port of Amsterdam with an aeroplane (1969)
Sign the sky above the port of Amsterdam with an aeroplane, 1969 20 x 75 cm
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Framed
In the work Sign the sky above the port of Amsterdam with an aeroplane (1969) a skywriting airplane writes the word ‘Boezem’ with condensation trails in the cloudy sky above Amsterdam’s harbor. After some time the word begins to vanish and ultimately disappears behind a cloud bank. The happening can be conceived as signing the cosmos, but because the signature is sure to disappear, it appears the artist is distancing himself from this pretentious act. Boezem does not presume to that, and does not confer upon the firmament the aura of an artwork; he is only confirming his discovery in 1963 of air, weather, and wind as visual material. The action is more important than the result. The signature on the heavens is a sign of the expansion of the context of art and a commentary on the rather limited space that is traditionally assigned to artworks.
In the three panoramic photographs, the passage of time between the appearance and disappearance of the signature remains as a visible souvenir of this airshow. The photographic record, which was created through a process in which time is an important factor, is an essential part of the artwork. The photographs were damaged on June 9, 1993, during a move from Toulon to Paris. The panels were restored in the Ateliers de la Ville de Paris under the responsibility of Anne Cartier-Bresson.
The original photographs can be found in several public collections in the Netherlands and France. This work is an original invitation card from 1969 with reproductions of the original photographs made by Frits Rotgans. At the time, it was used to announce the 6th Paris Biennale (29 September - 2 November 1969) at the Musee d’Art Moderne in Paris, where Signing the Sky Above the Port of Amsterdam with an Aeroplane was on display for the first time. This card has since become a collector’s item.
Rafaël Rozendaal
Extra Nervous 22 08 01 (Desert), 2022
Plexiglass in wooden frame
140 x 94,5 cm
Unique piece
