A Personal Gesture 2020 - present
March 8 2022 - November 8 2022: the arm is with Kitty Zijlmans.
Stopover
The next stop for A Personal Gesture was on the 17th of March 2022, during the course 'Art in a Global Perspective', which Kitty Zijlmans (Professor Emeritus of Contemporary Art History/World Art Studies at Leiden University) is currently teaching at the initiative of the VONKC (Vereniging Onderwijs Kunst en Cultuur). The course is intended for teachers of art classes in secondary education and teachers in training at academies, see the website vonkc.nl
The first session of the course focused on the material and its power of expression, the material as a partner-in-crime of the artist. I started the lecture with this sculpture because its physical presence was so meaningful. It is a sculpture in which the literal and figurative meanings of the inviting gesture coincide. Passing on and receiving the sculpture is a gesture of friendship and appreciation, the arm in turn also invites you to approach and connect. You can hold the arm and this physical tangibility of the sculpture makes such an impression. As the photograph shows, I immediately mould my hand and arm to the sculpture after receiving it. The optical shifts to the haptic, the sensory perception by tactile sense is so essential because of the proximity of the 'thing' and its touch.
The arm will stay with us for a while, before moving on to the next stop. The transfer will take place during a special moment, but more about that later. Our visitors all ask about the arm without exception and are then allowed to hold it for a while. They cannot get any closer to Michelangelo.
Leiden, 24th of August 2022
New destination: location Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht
After spending several months at our home and finding a virtual home in the Art in a Global Perspective course, where it will permanently be part of the second lecture on affect and agency of art thought from the point of view of the material, A Personal Gesture was handed over to cultural historian Nancy Jouwe on November 8. The occasion was the announcement of her Research Fellowship at HKU, which took place in the building (a shed actually) that houses the MA Fine Arts. It is a place where students can work and exchange with each other, where they are mentored and can develop. A place to blossom. When we walked in with the box in which the arm is transported, we immediately felt at home in this art place, and I think the arm did too.
Surrounded by Master students and in the presence of some colleagues, after a brief introduction, I handed the sculpture to Nancy. When the arm came out of the box we heard an ohh from all sides, as those present were surprised by the expressiveness of the arm and the gesture. The arm as a connection between people and an invitation to join, and yes, belong, is what makes this such a significant work. It invites reflection on how we relate to each other as people, who we include and exclude, how essential the closeness of the other is and their touch.
As Ineke Sluiter, an earlier temporary guardian of A Personal Gesture, notes, the arm refers to both destruction – the vandalism that has befallen art throughout the ages, precisely because it has such power of expression – and connection. As a gesture, it invites one to come closer, to become part of a greater whole, just as the arm is a part of Michelangelo's Pièta.
Nancy Jouwe does research and publishes on racism and intersectionality. She has worked for many years to disclose the slavery past of the Netherlands and, more specifically, the involvement of Dutch cities. The handover to her is a recognition of her great efforts to make the Netherlands more aware of our shared past and its consequences. It is also the gesture of a white Dutch person to one of colour.
At our house, it is now somewhat empty after months of experiencing the presence of the arm. At HKU, it will have another effect and who knows; maybe it will inspire young aspiring artists to create new work.
Leiden, 21st of November 2022
©Kitty Zijlmans, November 2022
2023 © rinihurkmans
A Personal Gesture together with De Muur #1, a work by Rudi Struik, 2017, triptych, mixed media, 174 x 125 x 4,5 cm