Van 10 juli t/m 28 augustus 2023 is in de lunchroom van Museum Het Schip de tentoonstelling 'The impossible dream of equality' van kunstenaar Man Pan Lau te zien.
Man Pan Lau (b. 1989) grew up in Hong Kong and recently (in 2022) obtained his Master of Fine Art (cum laude with a specialization in painting) from the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen, the Netherlands. While painting is the core of his professional practice, he does not limit himself to one medium to convey his perspective on topics such as identity and freedom. His experiences of travel and migration drive him to explore otherness, the definition of homeland and prejudice.
For example, in Hong Kong, he collected work gloves on the streets and mixed them with porcelain, then molded them into bricks and fired them in the ceramic kiln. The extreme heat in the kiln burned away natural substances and turned the gloves into porcelain bricks. The unevenness left imprints in the porcelain, showing the marks of the workers. This rhymes with the use of brick in the architecture of the Amsterdam School: after all, it was not only an aesthetic choice, but also reflected the values, craftsmanship and social aspirations of the movement.
In this exhibition in Museum Het Schip's lunchroom, Man Pan Lau explores the concept of brick from a different perspective. Rather than using actual bricks, he creates bricks through mould casting. In this artwork, he reflects on social equality by applying a glaze reminiscent of Delftware to these brick-like objects. This glazing technique bears strong similarities to Chinese porcelain, which was historically a luxury commodity reserved for the upper class. Through this application of the glaze, Man Pan Lau plays with ideas of accessibility, aesthetics, and imitation to question the equal rights of the worker. By allowing anyone to touch the artwork, he breaks down the barrier between art and viewer.
Opening Saturday 15 July
The lunchroom exhibition will be festively opened on Saturday, July 15, with drinks and a welcome talk. It is free to attend from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Please note that the museum's other exhibition areas close at 5:00 pm. Still want to visit the museum before the opening? For this you need to book a separate entrance ticket.
Note: The work on display may be touched. It is fragile, however, so please do so with care!
All artwork on display is available for purchase directly from the artist.
Website: www.laumanpan.com/
Museum Het Schip as a breeding ground for emerging talent
Amsterdam School Museum Het Schip is committed to giving emerging talent the opportunity to develop. Thus, the museum works with young curators for the exhibitions, the staff consists largely of students of art and architectural history, the museum offers contemporary talent a stage in the lunchroom and works closely with educational institutions.
