Power
INTERPLAY BETWEEN ART AND NATURE
Suzanne Swarts's expertise in art extends far beyond the walls of Voorlinden, the museum she directs.
Suzanne Swarts' knowledge of art goes much further than what can be admired within the walls of 'her' Voorlinden. In MASTERS the museum director shares her insights, experiences and passion in an almost poetic way. Works of art in themselves!
Online editor: Natasha Hendriks
Text: Suzanne Swarts
white box
Suzanne Swarts: “I almost didn't make it to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It was already afternoon when I hailed a taxi from the hustle and bustle of the airport and mentioned my destination. “Are you sure?”, the driver asked. “It's almost closed when you get there.” In a hurry I jumped into the car and left the raw hustle and bustle of Manchester behind me. In tens of minutes I ended up among the winter rolling hills of the English countryside. We meandered along hilly roads through ribbon villages, far from the highway. The ride took longer, much longer than I thought. Looking at the map on my phone, I saw that in hindsight I might have had to land at a different airport – that's how eager I had been, that's how much I wanted to get here. Through the window I saw the sky slowly getting darker.
When we arrived at the park, the evening was already hanging menacingly over the landscape. Heavy storm clouds had gathered above the trees. I begged the taxi driver to wait for me, afraid that I would never be able to get out of here again. When I explained to the ticket seller which images I still wanted to see, he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. He circled them on the map for me and set me free in the landscape, where the last visitors were foraging among the trees. The contours of the first sculptures were already waiting for me. First of all, there were moments of recognition. I met artist friends I have known for a long time: Antony Gormley and Giuseppe Penone, who will also be in Voorlinden can be admired, James Turrell, who is also a Wassenaar version of his Skyspace made, and Sol LeWitt, who also adorns our sculpture garden. Just as special are the encounters with new artists, who immediately feel familiar: the sparkling blue crystal cave by Roger Hiorns, the neon letters towering high above you by Hilary Jack and the tree sculptures by Andy Goldsworthy that merge with nature. Here, I discovered, art is not behind glass, a taut rope or the raised hand of an usher. Here art is within touching distance, tangible as a loved one.
White box museums regularly strive to create as blank a canvas as possible, to let the art speak for itself. The opposite happens in the nature of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park: here the sculptures enter into an intimate relationship with their environment, merging or contrasting sharply with their background. The natural human and nature forms feel at home thanks to their materials: dark rust, deep gray stone, gnarled wood. A single bright color stands out: a Buddha covered in a cheerful mosaic, a rhino disguised as a fairground attraction. Some works were made especially for this place; they all embrace the nature around them and vice versa. This art, I realize, can only be experienced here. Sometimes art can take you on a journey through places, times and cultures; in other cases, you as a viewer have to go out to take in the art. Standing among these sculptures I feel small. Compared to the landscape, compared to time. Behind me the gates of the park are quietly closed. I just managed to sneak out. I want to go back immediately.”
