A whirling tangle of countless arms and legs, hands and feet. The entanglement on the paper unfolds into a mass of wrestling people, grasping wrists, bending or twisting joints to subdue someone or free themselves from a grip, desperately gasping for air in the cramped space between them. Groups are strong, interrelated with power, but can also oppress, suffocate or even stoke fear. A systematically organized group of people moves as one body, but if chaos breaks out some get trampled. You can lose yourself in a crowd, wonderfully anonymous or supremely isolated. This is an inexhaustible subject, one that repeatedly returns in the drawings of Susanna Inglada. With their muted colour palette and accentuated black contours like the printed matter in old newspapers, her drawings refer to historical situations as well as to the present or future. ‘A crowd evokes so many associations and meanings – audiences at public events, organized demonstrations, bickering politicians, population groups flying at each other’s throats – that the image is universal and can be interpreted in many ways. It’s a subject that is always in motion.’
In Galerie Bart’s back room, you imagine you are in a life-sized diorama. Drawings that seem to have peeled off from the ceiling and walls are sticking out into the space. In one corner, a trio tumbles through the air with grim expressions on their faces. The changing perspective suggests movement, even offering a view of the soles of their feet as in a Mannerist painting. This is a dramatic aspect that, like the interplay between flat surface and spatiality, is connected with Susanna’s background in theatre. After having painted for some time, she switched to drawing and developed her own particular collage technique. ‘That became my way of working. It enables me to include characters and a corresponding scenography. As a spectator, you enter a theatre, as it were, where you encounter characters and parts of their storylines. By piecing these fragments together in your own way, you determine the rest of the story yourself.’
• Crowds is on view together with solo exhibition Everyday: After the storm by Jisan Ahn.
• Susanna Inglada is represented by gallery Maurits van de Laar, The Hague.
• Her exhibitions at Galerie Bart include Crowds, 2020 • Niels van Bunningen, Susanna Inglada and Raoul Kramer, 2015 • De taal van Materiaal, 2015 • Nieuwe Oogst, 2013 at Galerie Bart Nijmegen.
Special Events
Thursday, 26.11.20 – Sunday 29.11.20 • Amsterdam Art Gallery Weekend
The first Amsterdam Art Gallery Weekend brings together 27 Amsterdam based contemporary art galleries and 4 art institutions. Together they will provide you with a broad overview of Amsterdam’s rich contemporary arts scene and a chance to visit solo and group exhibitions, artist talks, performances, lectures and much more throughout the city. The programme might be overwhelming, therefore Amsterdam Art have set up an InfoDesk at Capital C, Weesperplein 4B. Find all the information you need at our InfoDesk and their website.
Thursday, 26.11.20: 17.00 / 20.00 • Official exhibition opening
Time subject to change. You are welcome to join us for the opening of ‘Crowds’, which will happen together with the opening of Everyday by Jisan Ahn.
• Following government regulations due to the COVID-19 virus, reservations to enter the gallery are NOT required, but the gallery will allow a maximum of 12 visitors inside at the same time. Please wear a face mask when entering the gallery. We are also taking the other necessary precautions for hygiene. Please remain at a safe distance of 1.5 meters to others, thank you!