herman de vries
to be all ways to be
Out of print
- Draws connections between man, culture and nature; and between art, science and philosophy
- A parallel world to the exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2015
- Antennae series: Award Dutch Best Book Designs 2015 by the student panel of judges
Authors: Jean-Hubert Martin, herman de vries, Cees de Boer, Colin Huizing, Birgit Donker
Editors: Cees de Boer, Colin Huizing
Design: Remco van Bladel, Andrea Spikker
2015, Valiz | supported by Mondriaan Fund, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam | hardback | 274 pp. | 24 x 17 cm (h x w) | English | ISBN 978-90-78088-99-8
The relationship between man, culture and nature is gaining ground as a research topic within the visual arts. herman de vries has developed an uncommonly versatile oeuvre in which art, science and philosophy are confronted with the world’s reality. He focuses on natural processes and phenomena and presents them as the primary, physical reality of human existence. De vries gathers, isolates and displays objects from nature, directing our attention to both the unity and the diversity of the world around us.
herman de vries – to be all ways to be focuses on de vries’ recent work, which he showed at the Biennale di Venezia 2015. The book shows the works intimately, makes connections and provides a historical, art historical and philosophical context. The book’s guideline is a dialogue between de vries and Jean-Hubert Martin about the works on show in Venice. Martin confronts de vries with key concepts such as poetry, smell, chance, nature and ecology, and interweaves the works and thoughts of de vries, with images, texts and other sources throughout his text.