Press information

Press information about the current and upcoming program and high-resolution images are available upon request, please send your request to Christel Rengers and Dieuwertje Sjoerds at pers@kunsthalkade.nl or call 033 422 50 38.

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Press release exhibition Sleep! - August 24 through January 5, 2025

Sleep, so familiar but oh so strange. Like food and drink, it is a basic necessity of life. A daily recurring phenomenon to which you surrender a third of your life with the help of an internal biological clock. During sleep, your brain is flushed clean, causing connections between brain cells to change, with some connections becoming stronger so you remember things. Last but not least, sleep also helps make stress and emotions less intense. Science has discovered a lot by now, but not everything and therefore it remains an interesting fact even in the realm of the arts. The family exhibition Sleep! takes you from Aug. 24 into a small exploration into the vast realm of sleep and dream, through the eyes of some fifty visual artists and designers. They will let you experience the essential importance and privilege of rest.

WAKE SLEEP DREAM REPEAT

In the exhibition, you walk through the four sleep stages; from slumber to light sleep, then on to deep sleep and (sleep) walk through the dream to a large dormitory in which the bed is central. From fairy-like to sometimes harrowing sleeping places in paintings and sculptures such as a bed in the shape of a grater by Mona Hatoum, the heavenly bed by Hans van Bentem, or the painted self-portrait of a sleeping Teun Hocks in a moving box. By no means everyone has an ideal sleep cycle; stress and anxiety often lead to disorders such as insomnia and having nightmares. For this dark side of sleep, take the detour through the Sleep/Wake space. Meet the penetrating work Tired by Aalt van de Glind, which deals with his girlfriend's chronic fatigue. After this, if you wish, start a second tour of the exhibition and undergo a second or third sleep cycle, just until you hopefully leave the exhibition completely refreshed!

Slumber / light sleep / deep sleep / dream

In slumber there is the mysterious blue hour, the transition between day and night (and vice versa) depicted by Yasmijn Karhof and Merel Karhof in their work The Blue Hour. Sarah Mei Herman captures the special sensitive dozing state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep (hypnagogia). The feeling of light sweet sleep, is very sensitively expressed in the face in cast glass made by Leiko Ikemura. The feeling of falling into a deep sleep shows the video 'Sleeping Beauty' by Carlijn Jacobs very nicely. In deep REM sleep, your brain comes to rest, and creative connections are forged. Mladen Stilinović created this self-portrait series of a sleeping artist in 1978. The work is aptly called: Artist at Work.

On your way into dreamland you stumble upon the work Threshold of Complexity by Harm van den Berg. The deep black background as the representation of the sleep state, while the white drawn networks evoke associations with the unconscious brain processes during different sleep stages.

On view is work by:

Philip Aguirre Y Otegui (BE) / Anas Albraehe (SY) / Barbora Adamonytė-Keidūnė (LT) / Stéphane Argillet and Gilles Paté (FR) / Carolien Arnold (NL) / Hans van Bentem (NL) / Stijn Ter Braak (NL) / Paul Bogaers (NL) / Harm van den Berg (NL) / Sophie Conroy (UK) / Bekhbaatar Enkhtur (MN) / Martin Fenne (NL) / Giovanni Battista Franco (IT) / Louis Fratino (US) / Lenz Geerk (CH) / Jacques de Gheyn (III) (NL) / Aalt van de Glind (NL) / Daniel Godínez Nivón (MX) / Francisco José de Goya (ES) / Frank Halmans (NL) / Geoffrey Holder (TT / US) / Mona Hatoum (LB) / Sarah Mei Herman (NL) / Teun Hocks (NL) / Li Hui (CN) / Leiko Ikemura (JP) / Saodat Ismailova (UZ) / Carlijn Jacobs (NL) / Pieter Jennes (BE) / Yasmijn Karhof & Merel Karhof (NL) / Carla Kogelman (NL) / Koen Ebeling Koning (NL) / Frank Koolen (NL) / Friedrich Kunath (DE) / Gerard de Lairesse (BE) / Alexandra Leykauf (DE) / Domenico Marchetti (IT) / Tony Matelli (US) / Frans Xaver Messerschmidt (DE) / Hendrik Moolenyzer (NL) / Bernard Picart (FR) / Paul de Reus (NL) / Julika Rudelius (DE) / Tobias Schalken (NL) / Hinke Schreuders (NL) / Sondi (CM | DE) / Ted Spagna (US) / Mladen Stilinović (SV) / Daniel Willem Stoopendaal (NL) / Maurice van Tellingen (NL) / Troika (UK) / Gavin Turk (UK) / Kaari Upson (US) / Utsav Verma (IN) / Marcel van der Vlugt (NL) / Andy Warhol (US) / Willem Weismann (NL) / Lothar Wolleh (DE)

Additional location de Mannenzaal

During the exhibition Sleep! you can visit the monumental Mannenzaal of the St. Pieters and Bloklands Guest House. Built in 1531, this Men's Hall and accompanying Chapel still has 22 original bedsteads, allowing visitors to get a unique glimpse of how the guests lived here. Several works of art can be experienced in the Men's Hall.

In the chapel you will find a giant rag doll created by artist Frank Koolen that you may hug. The doll is clearly no longer new. It seems to have been held and cuddled endlessly until its owner fell asleep. A repetitive humming chant draws your attention; leaving you with the enigmatic Adrift is sucked in by filmmaker Julika Rudelius. And get to know Voulez-Vous Coucher, the interactive installation by theater maker Carolien Arnold. There is also an extensive public program.

At various times (Sept. 28, Oct. 5, 12 and 19), the show - created especially for the exhibition - will be performed Voulez-Vous Coucher performed that was developed by theater maker Carolien Arnold and the MAAT Saxophone Quartet, commissioned by September Me and Kunsthal KAdE.

Audience Program Kunsthal KAdE

During the exhibition, there are all kinds of things to do for young and old around the theme of sleep. From the weekly boarding tour, yoga between the artworks, children's tours, to sleepwalking with the Amersfoort Guides and much more workshops, tours and activities. Also in the KAdEStudio you can do your own sleep stories, sleep positions and discover a host of sleep-inducing facts. 
View full programming on the site.

What is your superpower?
Are you visiting KAdE with your (grand)children? For families with children ages 6-12, the exhibition Sleep! exhibition, the family route SUPERKUNST! (free) to borrow. Because did you know that works of art have superpowers? Through chatting questions, fantasy tasks and games, you and your family will discover the superpowers of art. 

Summary

The family exhibition Sleep! takes you on a little exploration into the vast domain of sleep and dreams, through the eyes of some fifty visual artists and designers. Here, for a moment, another time reigns. You go through the four sleep stages from slumber to light sleep, continue to deep sleep and (sleep) walk through the dream to the great hall where the bed takes center stage. Or you make the detour via Sleep/Wake, because by no means everyone has an ideal sleep cycle. Stress and anxiety often lead to insomnia and sleep problems. If you wish, make a second round trip to a second sleep cycle, just as long until you hopefully leave the exhibition completely refreshed!

Catalog

A small illustrated catalog will accompany the exhibition. This catalog is available for purchase in the KAdEShop. ISBN: ISBN/EAN: 978-94-90153-39-7