A desk covered with materials, richly filled bookcases and works by Jan Schoonhoven on the wall: artist Robert Smit’s studio covers just a few square meters, but bears all the traces of the artist’s diverse oeuvre. Smit started out as a jewelry designer, but over the years he has explored various media and materials, including photography, drawing and digital prints. The need to experiment is a recurring theme in his career, as is the constant questioning of his own method.
‘I am curious about the nature of drawing,’ Smit explains. ‘What actually is a drawing? In answering this question, I strive not to blindly adopt existing assumptions, but to rediscover everything.’ This process results in drawings that move at the intersection of regularity and randomness. Certain elements seem to repeat themselves, but in a free and intuitive way.
The style is characteristic of artists of the Dutch ‘Nul-beweging’, whose work Arnold Ligthart Kunsthandel will show at KunstRAI. Ligthart started his art dealership in 2009, after working at Sotheby’s for many years. On the one hand, he specializes in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century art; on the other, he focuses on post-war art, particularly the Nul-beweging. Besides work by Smit, his booth will feature art by Fons Brasser and Jan Schoonhoven.
Curious about Smit’s studio? Or about his conversation with Arnold Ligthart? Watch their double interview below (Dutch).
Image on the left: Fons Brasser, Braun II, 1990, Fujicolor Christal Archive paper, edition 1/1, 38 x 25,5 cm.
