René! I'm Still Standing
Exhibition
This autumn the Grote Kerk Breda presents the exhibition René! I'm still standing – about love and loss.
Artworks by eleven (inter)national artists – contemporary and historical – ponder the major themes in life: sorrow, joy, desire, love, fear, hope and grief. The works confront us with ourselves, offer comfort or encourage reflection.
FORGOTTEN PRINCE
The famous tomb Le Squelette forms the centrepiece of the exhibition. This monument was erected to René of Châlon, the first and all but forgotten Prince of Orange-Nassau. He died on the battlefield in 1544 at the age of 25 and lies in the Prince's Chapel in the Grote Kerk Breda. Out of love and grief, his widow Anne of Lorraine commissioned an impressive cadaver tomb in Bar-le-Duc, France.
TIME TRAVEL
Standing upright with his heart in his hand, René's statue reminds us of the transience of existence and the universal questions and emotions associated with it. With the arrival of Le Squelette at the Grote Kerk Breda, past and present converge, resulting in an exhibition that travels through time and emotions.
BIG AND SMALL EMOTIONS
Five centuries later, Le Squelette provides the inspiration for an exhibition featuring eleven artists: Laurence Aëgerter, Nan Groot Antink, Alicia Framis, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Margit Lukács and Persijn Broersen, Oscar Muñoz, Sef Peeters, Ligier Richier and Jan van Scorel. Through their paintings, sculptures, photography, installations and video works, they reflect on the big and small emotions in life.
Laurence Aëgerter - Nan Groot Antink - Alicia Framis - Inez van Lamsweerde en Vinoodh Matadin - Margit Lukács en Persijn Broersen - Oscar Muñoz - Sef Peeters - Ligier Richier - Jan van Scorel
THE POWER OF IMAGINATION
In the most precious and vulnerable moments, both art and music offer guidance to deal with these feelings. Especially for René! I'm still standing, the Grote Kerk Breda enters into a unique collaboration with a guest editor, who selects a piece of music for each artwork that complements the emotion or story of the work. By linking visual art, history and music, an open conversation arises about the role that imagination plays in processing and experiencing emotions.
The Offline Club. Foto: Visuals by Naomi
SIDE PROGRAM
With this exhibition, the Grote Kerk Breda opens up a conversation about the active role that art and music can play in dealing with such issues, and how they can offer visitors new perspectives or even a way out. In the side programme of the exhibition, the focus is on young people because, as numerous studies show, it is precisely they who struggle with the complexity of life and societal reality. The activities are organised in cooperation with various (social) partners.
EXPLORE BREDA
Before or after your visit, let yourself be surprised by everything else the city has to offer and feel welcome in hospitable Breda. More info, including information on where to stay, can be found here.
René! I'm Still Standing is co-sponsored by the Rabo Art Collection, Rabobank Breda Amerstreek and the Municipality of Breda:
