SONSBEEK 1971-1986

The Sonsbeek Park in Arnhem, The Netherlands, is internationally known for the sculpture exhibitions organised since 1949. The 6th edition held in 1971 was a turning point as it mainly displayed contemporary art and, in particular, land and minimal art. After 15 years, the 7th edition imposes a new generation of artists. These two reports question and put in perspective the two editions of the manifestations.

Sonsbeek Buiten de Perken
1971, 46'03”, b&w, Dutch, English and French spoken, English subtitles.
The 1971 Sonsbeek exhibition was subtitled ’Sonsbeek buiten de perken’ (literally: "Sonsbeek Beyond Its Bounds", or freely as: "Sonsbeek Let Loose"). It was not limited to the confines of the park, but instead stretched out over all the Dutch nation. This was the period of land art, conceptual art, process art, minimal art, performance, and video; the traditional socle sculpture had disappeared. In ’Sonsbeek Beyond Its Bounds’ the concept of sculpture as such was put to discussion, as well as the way in which the work of art functions in the environment it was put in.

Spaziergaenger mit Hund - Sonsbeek 86
1986, 30'18”, colour and b&w, Dutch spoken, English subtitles.
A report on the art manifestation of Sonsbeek 86, falling back on the sense of security of the park. These natural surroundings had an atmosphere not unlike that of a museum. Some of the works had been positioned ’out in the open’ in the park. Most of the objects, however, could be considered in specifically designed glass pavilions. In fact these were the transparent rooms of the museum the park had been transformed into. Views of works by Robert Smithson, Katharina Fritsch, Marcel Broodthaers, Richard Artschwager, Michael Asher, Panamarenko (Zeppelin 1971), Luciano Fabro, Ettore Spaletti, Thomas Schütte, Jan Vercruysse, Bruce Nauman, Tom Otterness, Claes Oldenburg, Rebecca Horn, Henk Visch, Reinhard Mucha, Ger Van Elk, Richard Deacon, Mario Merz, Hidetoshi Nagasawa, Richard Deacon, Marisa Merz, Niek Kemps, Lili Dujourie, Georg Dokoupil, Thomas Schütte ...

This event is part of Jef Cornelis - A screening series in the Cinematek