Linda Molenaar
| Out Side In Side Out is an overview of 25 years of work by Dutch visual artist and performer Linda Molenaar, linking animal aspects in humans with human aspects in animals.
Linda Molenaar’s work is not just crafting an idea in her head, it takes up her entire life. A life in which the artist makes unknown, and sometimes unloved, worlds her own. A cello made of human hair, a tutu made of hundreds of worn-out ballet shoes, a grand piano made of a thousand piano hammers, countless thigh bones of mice out of pellets: the material is always the starting point for a journey of discovery. Wonderful combinations of materials tell us of major life themes such as symbiosis and autonomy, wonder and alienation, life and death, comfort and hope. The material with which Linda Molenaar shapes her ideas is located in strange and sometimes dark places. To get there, you have to hunt first. Feathers, pig’s teeth, silk ties or the skin of a Friesian horse; the collected loot is taken to the studio at home. Artisan techniques such as making wigs or spinning wool are taught. Or the studio turns into a nest when Linda spends weeks trying to incubate a chicken egg with her own body heat. All kinds of different objects and elements of humans and animals, combined with prostheses and other ‘accessories’, are dissected, brought together, sewn and dressed into a being in its own right. Sometimes inhabited by the body of the artist herself. Linda then literally and figuratively crawls into her work to show it in person. The encounter with the work is an alienating experience. Is this real or fake, is it an animal or a human, is it dead or alive? An exciting confrontation that leads to a connection in the now.
"There are people who can get into someone else’s skin. Think of actors and actresses, for example. But there are others who possess the ability to get into another character. It becomes truly special when they crawl into the skin of an animal or a tree. Literally. There are considerably fewer examples of this. One of them is Amsterdam-based visual artist Linda Molenaar." - Fredie Beckmans
Linda Molenaar (1972) lives and works in Amsterdam. After receiving a B.A. in sculpture at the Art Academy Constantijn Huygens in Kampen (NL) in 1997, Molenaar started her career with multiple grants and exhibitions. In 2009 she received her M.A. in performance at DasArts, De Amsterdamse School / Advanced in theatre and Dance Studies in Amsterdam. Throughout the years, the artist has build an extensive portfolio of solo and group exhibitions, performances, residencies, publications, teaching, lecturing, and grants, nationally as well as internationally.
