NETHERLANDS GUIDE

Discover Benelux | Top Art & Culture Spots in the Netherlands in 2019 | The Ultimate Destination
used the powerful machine for clamping
down protests. The parts Van Hove picks
out to recreate always carry a history with
them, they always have something beastly.”
His reproduction of the D9T consists
of 290 separate parts in 46 different materials.
No less than 41 artisans contributed
to completing this magnificent treat of
engineering.
Direct impact on the world
Yet, aesthetics are not Van Hove’s priority.
As a contemporary, conceptual artist,
his focus lies on telling a story to his audience.
“With their big size and incredible
details, his works are, of course, beautiful
and attractive. But for him, they have to
transcend that. They have to have content.”
With his art rooted on both sides of
the Strait of Gibraltar, he is making art for
a very diverse audience as well. Not only
do the levels of taste and style vary broadly,
but also the way we consume art is
different. “Here in Europe, we expose his
work in the sacred, nearly sterile environ-
ment of a museum. A place where people
take their time to observe it without any
distraction. In Africa, you hardly find any
museums. There, art is simply enjoyed on
the streets. That immediately gives meaning
to his pieces, since they also have a
direct impact on the world outside the
walls of cultural temples.”
This impact is very noticeable with his
work ‘The Mahjouba Initiative’, a social
art-project in which Van Hove and his
team create a handmade, electric motorcycle
for the Moroccan market. In his
characteristic crafty and collective way,
he and an army of artisans join forces to
create five prototypes which will eventually
lead to the design of one ultimate
Moroccan bike that will be manufactured
manually on a big scale.
The Fryske Motor
“Throughout the next year, while he exhibits
in the Fries Museum, Van Hove will also
work on a piece inspired by our region:
Friesland. This has always been a district
of artisans and farmers. Nowadays, however,
we only perform crafts for the sake
of nostalgia. We manufacture the objects
our ancestors have been producing for
centuries, but we don’t innovate anymore.”
That is why Van Hove will create
The Fryske Motor (The Frisian Engine), a
handmade replica of a forest harvester’s
engine as they are used by the local farmers.
Besides Frisian craftsmen, Moroccan,
Swedish and Indonesian artisans will
create pieces for it as well. “All of them
perform the same endangered art form:
crafts. That connects them, whether they
do it in Marrakesh or here in Leeuwarden.”
Explore Eric Van Hove’s work
yourself from 2 February 2019 to 5
January 2020 at the Fries Museum in
Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.
Web: www.friesmuseum.nl
D9T.
Mahjouba. Photo: © Meriem Abid
Photo: © Ruben van Vliet
Dorigin. Photo: © Eric Van Hove
Issue 62 | February 2019 | 59