Absalon & Elaine Reichek

'In February 1993 contact was first established between De Appel and Absalon concerning plans for an exhibition that was to be part of the French Art in Holland event. But when Absalon suddenly died in October 1993, his exhibition had to be carried out with the aid of instructions and two assistants. By age 28, Absalon had already worked out a specialized and influential oeuvre that furnished innovative ideas for both artists and architects. However, his work had never been shown in Holland before. De Appel presented two proposals for homes (Cellules), a few sculptures and six videotapes. The Cellules - austere, white one-person dwelling units -could be seen as literal archetypal living spaces, shelters from the outside world, as well as ‘mental’ spaces of concentration and seclusion. The videotapes showed a similar reduction to the most essential: interiors that are explored obsessively through the camera lens, or endlessly repeated acts. The exhibition was reproduced in similar form in the Carré d’Art, Nîmes, France. In preparing for this exhibition, the American artist Elaine Reichek researched the dwellings of native peoples, such as those of North American Indians. Her work entails the use of photographs to shows how the native people lived and how this was documented by the dominating power. Her woollen tents, hand-knit on the basis of information from the photographs, involve a traditional, time-consuming and labour-intensive process that symbolizes the attention and respect which these people were forced to abandon.' (Annual report De Appel 1994) Publications: Absalon, 1994 De Appel & Carré d'Art Nîmes. Text: Saskia Bos, Guy Tosatto, Jean-Christophe Ammann. Editor: Edna van Duyn. French & English. Incl. bio- & bibliography. 48 pages: 19 b-w, 19 x 25 cm. Hardcover. Design: Irma Boom. € 11,-. Elaine Reichek. Model Homes, 1994. Text: Homi K. Bhabha. Dutch & English. 10 postcards, 3 f.c., in portfolio 19 x 25 cm. Design: Irma Boom. SOLD OUT