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'Barter with Robinson' art project in demand by hardcore bargain hunters

Pet van de Luijtgaarden has a thing for collections. So he collects them. But being an artist, he also wants to say something with those collections: 'I am mainly concerned with society. I think we are going down because of overproduction and to show that, I want to go right over the top.' That is why now that project 'Swapping with Robinson' in Utrecht: an entire trade fair hall filled with a maze-like landscape, made up of what people no longer use, 'I put all this stuff down to make people realise how much stuff they actually have, and how much they mostly mindlessly throw away.'

capIn defiance of the exhibition's artistic purpose, 'Swapping with Robinson' draws a less artsy audience than Pet's earlier project 'Gulliver's Collections': 'Because there can now be real bartering, real bargain hunters are now coming, people who arrive with something ugly, and want something nice in return.' It sometimes produces a slightly different atmosphere, but that too fits in with the project, he thinks. A good example of the misunderstanding between art and bargain hunting is the item the Youth News made, entitled: swapping makes you cry:

I walked through the hall this week with Pet van de Luijtgaarden, dressed in his special outfit for the show, and talked about what's on show. The inflatable artwork in the centre of the hall provides the necessary atmospheric noise.

good to know
The event can still be seen: next weekend.

Wijbrand Schaap

Cultural journalist since 1996. Worked as theatre critic, columnist and reporter for Algemeen Dagblad, Utrechts Nieuwsblad, Rotterdams Dagblad, Parool and regional newspapers through Associated Press Services. Interviews for TheaterMaker, Theatererkrant Magazine, Ons Erfdeel, Boekman. Podcast maker, likes to experiment with new media. Culture Press is called the brainchild I gave birth to in 2009. Life partner of Suzanne Brink roommate of Edje, Fonzie and Rufus. Search and find me on Mastodon.View Author posts

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