Second edition of BlowUp Art colors The Hague, thanks in part to Publi Air

New year, new Blowup Art The Hague. By now, this event is one of our favorite events of the year. Not only because we get to contribute to this beautiful initiative, but also because we notice that BlowUp Art is becoming increasingly popular.

You can walk the entire from May 5 to May 28, 2023 BlowUp Art route in the Museum Quarter in The Hague. The second edition of BlowUp Art The Hague introduces you to spectacular, inflatable creations that have been specifically designed for a particular location in the Museum Quarter. The inflatable art pieces have once again been designed by national and international artists this year. During the walk, you will discover five artworks in the open air, and a sixth artwork hangs in the historic, covered shopping street De Passage. You don’t want to miss this exhibition!

The route

The six, temporary, artworks have been specially designed for the Berlage Kiosk on the Buitenhof, the Hofvijver, the side wall of the Het Nationale Theater – the Koninklijke Schouwburg, the exit of the Museum Quarter parking garage on the Tournooiveld, the Passage and the shell path along the Lange Vijverberg

Artists
Paul Cournet (FR/NL)
Steve Messam (UK)
Raw Color (D/NL)
Lambert Kamps (NL)
Yamuna Forzani (IT/UK/NL)
Theo Botschuijver (NL)

Paul Cournet – Solar Cloud

‘The Solar Cloud’ floats like a large cushion above the detached pavilion that Berlage designed a hundred years ago. Cournet’s new intervention seems connected to this jewel of The Hague’s architectural history with an umbilical cord. It is not surprising that Paul Cournet’s eye fell on the Berlage Kiosk as the location for his blowup artwork. After studying architecture in Bordeaux and Paris, Paul Cournet worked as a senior architect at Rem Koolhaas’ famous OMA in Rotterdam. He has had his own studio ‘Cloud’ since 2021.

Steven Messam – Crested

Larger than a house but as light as a feather. One of the advantages of Inflatable Art. Steve Messam’s inflatable textile artworks are often applied to monumental buildings all over the world. Once inflated, the impact of Crested is great. The bright red points move undulating in the wind and create a cheerful situation at the exit of the Museum Quarter parking garage

Raw Color – Compressed Cylinders

‘Compressed Cylinders’ consists of a number of lanky tubes that are pumped up against the walls of an empty shop window. The space literally fills with color. And when they deflate again, a new cheerful composition is created. This striking and colorful installation was created by Raw Color from Eindhoven. Since 2007, the design duo (Daniera ter Haar (NL) and Christoph Brach (D) has been developing a pure approach to color, which can take shape in graphic designs, photography, products and now also in Blowup Art.

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Lambert Kamps – Submarine

Our contemporary world is full of items, such as cars, buildings and infrastructure, that we only use for a small part of the day. For designer and artist Lambert Kamps, the available space in our country is too precious to be handled carelessly. The Blowup installation ‘Submarine’ in the Hofvijver rises and sinks below the surface of the water again after a while. This art object plays with Shakespeare’s famous question: ‘to be or not to be’.

Yamuna Forzani – A big heart

In this facade on the Schouwburgstraat, two old buildings push against the gray and boring new building of the Koninklijke Schouwburg. This location is a great place for Yamuna Forzani, an Italian-English artist. She loves those contrasts in the street scene. Embraced by + and -> symbols, Forzani’s globe stands for equality and optimism. Forzani studied Textile and Fashion at the KABK and works from her base in The Hague.

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Theo Botschuijver – Ode to the Light Bulb

It is never pitch dark in the dome of De Passage. Electricity ensured more than a century ago that houses and starts were never dark again. ‘It’s a bit of a shame that the light bulb has been forgotten,’ says artist Theo Botschuijver. ‘Energy-saving lamps and LED. More economical of course, would never have come without this glowing icon’. The ‘Ode to the Light Bulb’ can be seen in the dome of De Passage.

Theo Botschuijver has been working in Blowup Art since 1967. Music lovers may still remember the giant inflatable pig from Pink Floyd’s Animals from 1977. Sean Connery in a large silver ball running over water in James Bond’s ‘Diamonds are Forever’ is also his work.

Visit BlowUp Art The Hague

All artworks can still be seen until May 28, 2023 in The Hague’s Museum Quarter. BlowUp Art The Hague is a production of BinnenhofBuiten, a project of The Hague & Partners. BinnenhofBuiten organizes events and activities during the renovation of the Binnenhof. More information can be found on the website.