Missing, wanted, found: Do It Yourself posters at the intersection between sculpture and painting
M welcomes a new resident
From the middle of March, Anna van der Ploeg will start a five-month residency at the M studio in Cas-co at the invitation of M Leuven. Van der Ploeg (born 1992 in Cape Town, SA) mainly works with painting, sculpture and graphics. Human interactions and how they relate to prescribed roles, scripts and dialogues is the focal point of her work. Over the next few months, the residency will give her the ideal context for concentrating on her art and offer her expert guidance.
M-residence
M is committed to discovering and supporting emerging talent. The museum does this by offering a workspace at Cas-co, a studio and residency located at the Vaartkom in Leuven.
"Every year, M invites two artists for a residency in this large and bright space to experiment undisturbed and further develop their practice," says Bert Cornillie, alderman for culture and chairman of M's board of directors. "But an M-residency offers emerging artists much more than just a place to work. The museum's expertise can make a world of difference in areas from networking opportunities to budget management and technical support."
"We are very happy to welcome Anna van der Ploeg as M-resident and to support her in the next phase of her career," Laure Vanrijckeghem, M-residence coordinator, further adds. "Anna studied fine art at the University of Cape Town and at KASK in Ghent but she currently works in Brussels. As an artist, she explores the precarity of interactions between strangers and acquaintances. She combines elements of sculpture with painting and has developed her own method of carving, cutting and painting plywood."
DIY posters
Van der Ploeg's interest in human interactions will continue during her M-residency. She will focus further on her research on Do It Yourself posters. For Van der Ploeg a poster is a surface around which people can gather, just like a table. Ever since computers and printers became widely available, posters have become ubiquitous on the streets: the missing poster, the wanted poster, the searches around jobs, pets or events.It is an object that enables encounter and exchange.
Van der Ploeg is already enthusiastic. "I am really looking forward to being able to delve further into my research during this residency," says the new M-resident. "The stability and tranquillity of a fixed physical space is very welcome. I am also very curious about the help offered from trustees and other experts."
Exhibition
The result of the research during Van der Ploeg's residency will be presented at M in the autumn of 2023. More info will follow.
Want to know more about the M-residence concept?
https://www.mleuven.be/en/research-support/artists-residencies/m-residence
More info on M-resident Anna van der Ploeg?
Nica Broucke