TWIZA or the art of give and take
Exhibition and book launch in Huis De Pinto
In the beginning of 2016 I have been working as an artist in residence at Green Olive Arts in Tétouan, Morocco, making drawings, photos and one minute videos. Back in the Netherlands I invited writers and poets to write texts to my work with the plan to combine everything in an art book: TWIZA of de kunst van geven en nemen (TWIZA or the art of give and take; the book is in Dutch).
From September 6 until October 16 all works and writings are presented in an exhibition in Huis de Pinto. Moreover, a book launch will be held in a special edition of Salon de Pinto, with an artist talk, readings by the writers and lute music by Hassan Benhammou, on September 8, from 20:30 until 22:30, admission €7,50. There are not many seats available, so it will be necessary to make a reservation through salon@huisdepinto.nl
TWIZA is a Tamazight word describing collective participation and the practice of sharing, which I feel is fitting for how my work was created and also for the collaboration involved in producing this book. While I was in Morocco, Rachel Pearsy from Green Olive Arts interviewed me and put together a beautiful video with footage from the streets of Tétouan and its surroundings:
TWIZA or the art of give and take is filled with drawings, photography and stills of one minute videos (the videos can be seen in a ten minute compilation on youtube) created during my time in Morocco, with the participation of the Moroccan subjects in my work. It also contains poetry, short stories, and essays by ten Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch writers: Chaib Massaoudi, Nisrine Mbarki, Shida Khizou, Sandra de Weijze, Frenk Der Nederlanden, Jos van Hest, Leo Divendal, Maria van Daalen, Mustafa Stitou, and Asis Aynan. Each wrote in response to the art of their choice, selecting from work created by Maartje at Green Olive Arts.
To me, the book embodies TWIZA, because I think art is about seeing, showing, surprising, moving, sharing, moving, connecting. TWIZA takes my work, made in connection with the people and the artists of Tétouan and Chefchaouen, back to Amsterdam, hereby making new connections and bringing the project to a new level. Additionally, the Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch writers give their view and take on what they saw through my art. And who knows what will come out of this in the future …
TWIZA or the art of give and take is a first/special edition art book in Dutch printed on different kinds of specialty paper. Some of the pages which are blue, and the blue thread binding are a nod to the vibrant blue city of Achaouen (also known as Chefchaouen), which was influential in my work. TWIZA is available to purchase (€20, plus postage). You can contact me at mjaquet@xs4all.nl for ordering information.
Sint Antoniesbreestraat 69
Opening times:
Monday – Friday 10:30 – 17:30
Saturday: 13:00 – 17:00
Sunday: closed
Maartje Jaquet 