Ethnic Studies Part 3

Upper Austrian Folk Art

Birthday installation found in P.P. land. A turnable cubus made for a 40 year old Austrian standing on the roadside.

Ethnic Studies Part 2

Upper Austrian Folk Art

While the Queen took her walk through her royal territory today, she passed by a nice place close to her residence. A guy named Hansi is sitting there under a tree. The street sign tells us his age and it seems that he is ready to go to work, well armed with working gloves, a hammer and a tool box wearing his blue working overall. P.P. said:"Happy birthday Hansi, my dear subject. Nice to meet you." But Hansi was just speechless face to face with his Queen.

Another example of the strange birthday traditions in P.P.Queenland.

Ethnic Studies Part 1

Upper Austrian Folk Art

The people in the Queen´s country are good communicators but they are also creative. It´s the custom around here to let everybody know that there´s a birthday boy or girl. Relatives or friends make objects or dolls/puppets, sometimes installations and put them in front of the birthday person´s house. It is a surprise and present for the person, but can also be a critical humorous statement about the person, the person´s job, hobby, passion and it is used as a sign for everybody passing by.

The first association that came to P.P.´s mind was the figural fantasy coffins in Ghana, Afrika.

In the beginning of the 1950s Ata Owoo (1904 –1976) , a talented carpenter in Ghana, started with the idea and design of a coffin with the shape and colour of an eagle for a chief. The first carpenter who realized the ideas was the journeyman of Ata Owoo, Kane Kwei (1922-1992). Kane Kwei created a hole new funeral culture, funeral art. For his grandmother who died, he made a coffin that looked like an airplane, because it was the grandmother´s biggest wish to go by plane.

Edwin Stolk

Installation Q-Fever by Edwin Stolk, 2008

at Kunstzomer/ Jong Land, Breezand/ Anna Paulowna, Netherlands

Q-fever is a disease caused by infection that affects both humans and animals.

Click to watch the Q-fever video report

"...the truth is that I am just an animal, a human, an individual, a dissident." says Edwin Stolk, a passionate, interesting artist.

"my spoken words surprise me and teach me my thought"

Edwin Stolk (Velsen, 1974)
Education 2002-2007, Royal Academy of Art (KABK), The Hague, Netherlands

Working in The Hague, Netherlands

Installations, Video Art, Strange Messenger

Upcoming Exhibition, 18 - 21 September 2008, GOGBOT Festival - Enschede The Netherlands
presented by PLANETART

http://www.edwinstolk.nl/