R.S.O.L.
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Room for the Study Of Loneliness : space for contemporary art
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a curious experience...
A commited visitor recently wrote R.S.O.L. the following:
"I had a curious experience at the Van Hetenstraat, recently. I regularly pass it by on my bicycle, past your old hang-out. And one time, everything had already been demolished and removed, I had the curious impulse to knock on your door, at the corner of the building. As if you'd have a little underground dwelling there. And last night I dreamt about it again. That you were still there! It's just me, I know, but it was so wonderful, your place. And strange: this dream." |
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- upcoming, May/June 2026:
At Night
A presentation with work by Marcel van Eeden info, Maarten Sipma info, Ibrahim Kurt info, Aalt van de Glind info, Petra Noordkamp info Matthijs Vermeulen, Marc Raven info a.o.
Maarten Sipma, 2023
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In Kafka's notation 'At Night', written sometime in the nineteentwenties, our existential vulnerability becomes apparent. As we sleep, assuming that our dwellings shelter us, should there not really be s(S)omeone watching over us? In this photography exhibition, artists show light images that were made when there is very little light, both literally and metaphorically.
above: Dutch-Kurdish artist Ibrahim Kurt collects remnants for new photographic works for ‘At Night’ at the site of the former R.S.O.L. dwelling, which has been demolished.
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the infinite loneliness of contemporary art
In response to questions of artists and against policy, support for the upcoming programme has for once been requested from the municipality of Deventer. The rejection provides insight into the status of contemporary art and artists in todays society, as well as into the nature and working of art and artisthood. It also emphasises the reasons why it is R.S.O.L. policy to not apply for subsidies.
“The concise application and website clearly demonstrate that R.S.O.L. has already established a solid track record. The Advisory Council for Culture is therefore confident that the development of both exhibitions can be organised professionally by R.S.O.L. However, this application lacks a link to (...) one of R.S.O.L.'s principles, which emphasises a process-oriented approach in which art is primarily seen as a means of research and thought, rather than as a tradable object. This clearly positions the institution outside commercial art practice and places it in a more academic-philosophical tradition. In doing so, R.S.O.L. distinguishes itself from regular exhibition spaces and underlines its ambition to approach art as an instrument for gaining insight into the world and human existence.
The Cultural Advisory Council believes that this formulation remains rather abstract. It is not sufficiently clear how this principle will be put into practice.” (Cultural Advisory Council Deventer/Apeldoorn, 01.10.2025)
“Works of art are of an infinite loneliness (…) only love can understand them (…) and be just to them.” (Rilke, 23.04.1903)
To understand how art works, you have to do art and let it work. Only then can you map out the insights and knowledge that have been gained through it. In other words, before a work of art has been done, it is impossible to conclude what insights and knowledge will be gained in, through and with it. Art is a process in which insights and knowledge become ostensive. Only by describing and analysing this accurately will it be possible to express the results in theorems, hypotheses or categories.
“The concise application and website clearly demonstrate that R.S.O.L. has already established a solid track record. The Advisory Council for Culture is therefore confident that the development of both exhibitions can be organised professionally by R.S.O.L. However, this application lacks a link to (...) one of R.S.O.L.'s principles, which emphasises a process-oriented approach in which art is primarily seen as a means of research and thought, rather than as a tradable object. This clearly positions the institution outside commercial art practice and places it in a more academic-philosophical tradition. In doing so, R.S.O.L. distinguishes itself from regular exhibition spaces and underlines its ambition to approach art as an instrument for gaining insight into the world and human existence.
The Cultural Advisory Council believes that this formulation remains rather abstract. It is not sufficiently clear how this principle will be put into practice.” (Cultural Advisory Council Deventer/Apeldoorn, 01.10.2025)
“Works of art are of an infinite loneliness (…) only love can understand them (…) and be just to them.” (Rilke, 23.04.1903)
To understand how art works, you have to do art and let it work. Only then can you map out the insights and knowledge that have been gained through it. In other words, before a work of art has been done, it is impossible to conclude what insights and knowledge will be gained in, through and with it. Art is a process in which insights and knowledge become ostensive. Only by describing and analysing this accurately will it be possible to express the results in theorems, hypotheses or categories.
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“The organisation rests with the applicant, who fulfils all roles. A clear disadvantage of this approach is that the organisation becomes highly dependent on one person. This can lead to vulnerability on multiple levels: continuity and sustainability; combining the roles of curator, producer, technician, and marketeer in one person can be detrimental to the depth or quality of each component, as specialist knowledge and time becomes fragmented. In addition, there is a more limited scale and reach: this may reduce the project's growth potential, as the capacity to serve new activities or larger audiences remains limited. The Cultural Advisory Council is interested in the applicant's experience in the above." (Cultural Advisory Council Deventer/Apeldoorn, 01.10.2025)
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“Perhaps it turns out that you have a calling to be an artist. Then accept your fate and bear it, (...) without ever asking for the reward.” (Rilke, 17 February 1903)
Every artist is alone and fulfils “all roles” in his, her or their one person. Indeed, this leads to vulnerability on multiple levels. But the artist’s time is only fragmented because it is not, or insufficiently, valued by society, including by the Cultural Councils of the elected governments of that society. If I, as R.S.O.L., were to be subsidised for more than half of my budget, just like the municipal art institution, I would gladly hire a personal assistant to take care of the administrative and organisational tasks and marketing, as well as for the more general technical tasks. The municipal art institution of Deventer has, in addition to a director, two coordinators/project leaders, a secretarial assistant, two technical assistants, a financial administrator, and a PR and communications assistant. All covered by a municipal subsidy.
Finally, the view that all human effort and activity should always grow has, in my opinion, been overruled by the climate crisis, which has been caused in part by this very attitude.
Every artist is alone and fulfils “all roles” in his, her or their one person. Indeed, this leads to vulnerability on multiple levels. But the artist’s time is only fragmented because it is not, or insufficiently, valued by society, including by the Cultural Councils of the elected governments of that society. If I, as R.S.O.L., were to be subsidised for more than half of my budget, just like the municipal art institution, I would gladly hire a personal assistant to take care of the administrative and organisational tasks and marketing, as well as for the more general technical tasks. The municipal art institution of Deventer has, in addition to a director, two coordinators/project leaders, a secretarial assistant, two technical assistants, a financial administrator, and a PR and communications assistant. All covered by a municipal subsidy.
Finally, the view that all human effort and activity should always grow has, in my opinion, been overruled by the climate crisis, which has been caused in part by this very attitude.
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