Twiemæl Sterben

Cedric ter Bals, Philip Akkerman

drawings, paintings

01 – 29 September 2019

Friday 27 September HOOGTIJ #58 from 19:00 – 23:00 hours with DJ Trümmer
and portraitshooting: € 10,- cash per drawing, to be acquired after a direct hit

Sunday 29 September finissage; at 15:00 hours tea & cookies, the artists are present
the gallery is open from 13:00 – 17:00 hours

In Twiemæl Sterben (Dying Two Times) the world of Oskar von Balz unfolds, a German soldier from the First World War, brought to life by Cedric ter Bals (1990) in comic-like drawings. Von Balz acts in the historical context of Verdun but also in contemporary Scheveningen, the home town of Cedric ter Bals. The drawings are partly autobiographical and thus the character of Oskar von Balz functions as a kind of alter ego of the artist. In the exhibition the ‘Tagebuch Oskar von Balz’ (Diary of Oskar von Balz) will be presented, a cartoon album about Oskar von Balz in which a mixture of English, German and Scheveningen dialect is used. The original drawings of the Tagebuch will be exhibited, along with other drawings about World War I.

Just as Cedric ter Bals focuses almost exclusively on the character Oskar von Balz, Philip Akkerman (1957) has devoted himself throughout his career solely to his own portrait. In the exhibition both drawings and paintings of Philip Akkerman are presented. The choice for one subject and its consistent implementation connects both artists. Conversely, you could also see the character Oskar von Balz as a fictional self-portrait of Cedric ter Bals.
The drawings and paintings are presented in a setting that refers to the First World War, with fragments of brick walls, straw bags, observation post and a huge grenade and war prostitute painted by Philip Akkerman on the shop window of the gallery.

During the opening you can shoot at specially made portrait sketches by Cedric ter Bals and Philip Akkerman and after hitting take home with you: € 10,- per drawing to be paid in cash.