swinging sleeve

ruta butkute

5 maart 2017 - 2 april 2017

BRADWOLFF PROJECTS presents a sculptural installation by Ruta Butkute. The platform selected this project due to the artist’s investigative approach, through which she arrives at new insights.

In ‘Swinging Sleeve’, two performers engage in an intuitive physical experiment in which an exchange takes place between the objectified body and the animated object. The relationship between the physical forms of the installation and the performers’ body movements is explored through their dynamics. The objects carry various functions within themselves and are detached from their origins. Through simple movements, the artist strives to question the specific qualities of materials, such as weight, size, mass, and gravity.

The sculpture gives the impression of having a functional origin. Upon seeing the traces of wear from the performances, the question arises as to how the installation can be used. Its construction is based on traditional Japanese Tatami floor mats: they are adaptable in number and shape to the space they occupy. Consequently, the sculpture will form very different constellations and assume constellations after the performance is complete. Tatami originally means ‘folding’ or ‘stack’. These characteristics are reflected in the presentations. A video recording of the performance is projected during the exhibition.

Ruta Butkute ​​[1984, Kaunas, Lithuania] studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. She has exhibited at Fons Welters, Amsterdam, Kaaistudios, Brussels, Rietveld Huis Cordemeyer, Apeldoorn, and Teruhiro Yanagihara Gallery, Osaka, Japan, among others. She has participated in various residencies, including the Summer Coaching Program, Rosas PARTS in Brussels, and the Arita Residency in Japan.

Finissage Swinging Sleeve Ruta Butkute Sunday, April 2, 2017 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
5:00 PM Sculptural Performance

Credits performers Roos van Berkel and Tashi I waoka