What happens when artist Jasper Krabbé immerses himself in the Tropenmuseum’s depositories and is given a free hand to make an exhibition? What does the Tropenmuseum’s collection look like through Krabbé’s eyes? And how does this unique encounter inspire him and museum visitors? From 13 September 2014 to 25 January 2015 Krabbé will transform the Tropenmuseum into his ideal house with influences from all corners of the globe. With around 1000 objects in the Soulmade. Jasper Krabbé X Tropenmuseum exhibition, Krabbé creates nine ensembles with his own new work as the focal point. The result is a diversity of objects. At first sight they seem to have nothing to do with each other but with Krabbé’s help you can see similarities. The objects and Krabbé thus become soulmates.
Visual artist Jasper Krabbé (1970) roamed around the Tropenmuseum’s depositories several times. Past the magic staffs from Sumatra, carnival costumes from Bolivia, hairdressers’ signboards from West Africa and cassava graters from Suriname. An exhibition has emanated from this special experience that presents the encounter between a Dutch contemporary artist and the work of mainly unknown makers of the objects from the museum collection. Moved by the wide diversity and vitality of the collection items, Krabbé made a selection based on intuition, recognition, colour, shape and material.
Personal story
By placing the items from the collection side by side with his own work Krabbé creates ensembles which give a new, personal perspective to both his own work and the museum collection. He shares this view with the public in a very personal way: he invites the visitor into his ideal house. A house with nine rooms each with its own ensemble. You walk through the Hallway full of textiles and erotic prints from China, through the Smoking Room with smokers’ requisites and Indonesian portraits, and through the dark Bedroom with cupboards and Batak priest’ books from Sumatra. In each room amazing new connections are made between artists, materials and shapes, and emotions and inspiration. The Soulmade. Jasper Krabbé X Tropenmuseum exhibition gives an extremely personal view of Krabbé’s inspiration originating from the Tropenmuseum’s ethnographical collection and displays their affinity.
Combined with his own work
Jasper Krabbé was given the challenge of letting the Tropenmuseum’s collection inspire him to produce something new in combination with his own work. Krabbé studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and the Cooper Union in New York. Since then he has exhibited all over the world, from Brazil to Italy and from Sweden to the United States. Memories in particular feature in his work and are a huge source of inspiration.
