East West (Oost West) Forum Dordrecht Holland

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Work during the East West Forum - the illusion of civilization (een illusie van civilisatie)

The Dutch artists, on the contrary, were used to working individually. I must say that I always used to maintain that the definition of art should always take into account that art can only be made by one individual. I've always said that there is no such thing as "Group Art". Having admitted this, it will be evident that the difference between the Dutch and the Japanese culture presented a huge problem during the discussions between the Japanese and the Dutch participants of the East West Forum. The Netherlands Ministry of Culture had chosen "their" artists on the basis of personal quality. In that sense they achieved what they thought was their mission. But we, as the organizing committee, as well as the artists were stuck with this problem. The decision makers always know better.

Towards the end of the six weeks the Dutch sculptures were nearing completion. Behind Lex Wechelaar's stranded boat trailer Marinus Boezem poses with his sculpture lifting a cloud for the photographer, Anne Pool.

Since our working group had based the concept of the symposium on a confrontation between Dutch and Japanese sculpture, with the theme of the integration of a sculpture/project into the landscape or of a sculpture/project in the urban environment, we were in for a hot summer ....

organization: East West Forum working group of the Dutch Sculptors' Association 1981-1983