AMSTERDAM.- From 26 November 2015 until 27 March 2016, under the title Geometry of the Scattering, the Oude Kerk presents a solo exhibition by Dutch artist Germaine Kruip. Together with curator Krist Gruijthuijsen a selection of sculptural and performative works was selected that has never before been exhibited in the Netherlands. Along with new works inspired by the monumental building, such as A Square, spoken and Oude Kerk Untitled, the exhibition also includes previous work that Kruip has adapted for the exhibition space. For example the impressive Column Untitled (2011-2015). In conjunction with the exhibition the Oude Kerk is organising the public program Come Closer, to be held in the church in February and March 2016. This program includes a series of thought-provoking discussions and presentations. During the exhibition Kruip's performance Geometry of the Scattering: Scene I can be seen at the Veem House for Performance.

abstractions of light and space
The language of simple geometric forms, such as circles and squares, is deeply rooted in the history of ideas, religion and art. Using these forms, along with some subtle interventions, Kruip's work exposes historical and cultural phenomena, such as the impact of traditions and rituals, culminating in bewildering abstractions of light and space. Kruip's abstractions have a double meaning. On the one hand they create a link to the contemplative character of the Oude Kerk, but they also influence and alter the perceptions of the viewer.

square and/or circle
The Square, once a Modernist symbol, is central to the performance A Square, spoken, which has been specially created for the Oude Kerk. In the history of the square, Kruip suggests, we recognise the slipping of time and the fluidity of our perception. Kannadi (from Square to Circle) is about material and immaterial heritage. Kannadi are round mirrors traditionally made in Aranmula (India). Simply by asking if square mirrors could be made Kruip forced a change in the local, centuries-old production process. 11 variations on the familiar pattern were created. Integrated into the architecture of the Oude Kerk the mirrors make reference to existing and broken traditions. Column Untitled (2011-2015) is composed out of hundreds of white marble elements that reproduce a traditional pattern through their seemingly endless repetition. In the Oude Kerk Column Untitled forms an 18-meter high column reaching from the gravestone floor to the vaulted ceiling of the Chapel of Saint George (Joris). The column alters the space, evoking a sense of endlessness.

Oude Kerk Untitled
Germaine Kruip often creates new, theatrical environments, not by adding to a space, but by removing something. Kruip conducted research on how the Oude Kerk was lit originally. She wondered how light and darkness related to the architecture. For the work Oude Kerk Untitled all artificial light sources that had been installed over the years have been removed, resulting in a blending of the everyday with the theatrical. The cycle of natural light is once again free to play without the interference of artificial and decorative lighting. Throughout the exhibition period, during the short winter days, the daylight changes from hour to hour, continually changing the look and feel of the church. From sun-drenched to ghostly darkness.

Germaine Kruip
Germaine Kruip (*Castricum 1970) lives and works in Amsterdam and Brussels. She studied at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Utrecht and continued her development at DasArts and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. Fascinated by the tension between reality and fiction she immersed herself in the theatre world from 1993 to 2000. Since her move from theatre to the visual arts in 2000, Kruip mainly focuses her work on the architecture of light and movement. In her body of work, which varies from installations to performances, she seeks to locate where everyday life transitions into art, and art into everyday life. Kruip exhibits internationally and she is represented by galleries in Antwerp, Madrid and London. Her installations and performances have been exhibited at Art Basel, in Museum de Paviljoens, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Boston, Kunstverein Nordrhein- Westfalen and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, among others. In the original building of the Stedelijk Museum, she installed Daytime (2004), a collection of subtly rotating reflective lamellae designed to make the link between the city and the Stedelijk Museum visible. Her most recent performance A Possibility of an Abstraction will premier at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in the Brussels Kaaitheater on 14 and 15 May 2016. Kruip has won the Prix de Rome and the Charlotte Köhlerprijs.