Guido van der Werve. Number eight, nine, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, seventeen. With texts by Michael Maizels, Jenny Johnson, Isabel de Sena in conversation with Guido van der Werve.
Publisher Kerber Verlag writes: On the occasion of Fluentum collection’s inaugural exhibition, Number eight, nine, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, seventeen presents six performance-based works by Dutch artist Guido van der Werve. After having studied industrial design, archaeology, and composition, since 2000 he has created elegiac, and stunning films, videos, and artist’s books that evoke existential feelings and, at times, deadpan humor. The comprehensive book situates his artistic practice within the context of athleticism, visual art, and musical composition, conveying poetic meaning even under the most extreme conditions.
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer veertien, home, 2012
Guido van de Werve, Still from Number zeventien, killing time attempt 1, 2015
Setting himself on fire, walking serenely in front of an icebreaker while the frozen water cracks behind him, going on a 1600 km triathlon from Warsaw to Paris as an homage to Chopin, pantomiming the ascent of Mount Everest from his bed for 10 hours or standing (almost) still and alone on the North Pole for 24 hours. Guido van der Werve’s performances are always breath-taking but never in a way that would distract the viewer from their poetry, melancholy and a romantic sense of the sublime. Each time i saw his works in exhibitions, i was drawn in by the description of their recklessness, by the extreme physical and emotional endurance they documented but it’s the meditative atmosphere and subtle humour of the videos that kept me glued to the spot.
Guido van der Werve. Number eight, nine, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, seventeen is the catalogue of an exhibition at Fluentum in Berlin which i haven’t seen but since there barely is any video of the artist’s work available online, i thought the book might be a good substitute for the films. I’m glad i got a copy.
If you’re wondering (as i did) why the titles of his films always start with a number, it’s because they echo the opus number of musical compositions. Van der Werve trained as a classical pianist and is a talented composer but he also studied industrial design and Russian literature and is an avid runner and triathlete. Somehow he manages to convey most of these aspects of his life into his works.
Here’s a quick illustration of what that means. With the number eight, nine, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and seventeen. In no particular order:
Guido van de Werve, Extract from Nummer veertien, home, 2012
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer veertien, home, 2012
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer veertien, home, 2012
Nummer veertien: home pays tribute to Frédéric Chopin. van de Werve swam, cycled and ran from Warsaw, where Chopin grew up and where his pickled heart is preserved (smuggled by his sister at the request of the composer), to the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, where his body is buried.
The images of the triathlon alternate with scenes based on his childhood memories and references to Alexander the Great. The film structure is guided by the 12 sections of the requiem Van der Werve composed for it, performed by an orchestra and choir that pop up at various locations throughout the film.
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer negen: The day I didn’t turn with the world, 2007
Nummer negen: The day I didn’t turn with the world documents 24 hours during which the artist didn’t “turn with the world” but let the Earth rotate around him. The artist stood alone and in almost complete immobility on the axis of the world at the geographic North Pole. His only movements consisted in turning slowly clockwise as the planet under his feet turned counterclockwise.
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer acht, everything is going to be alright, 2007
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer acht, everything is going to be alright, 2007
The artist is walking steadily across the frozen waters. Right behind him, an icebreaker smashes through the ice. The powerful vessel looks menacing. And yet, without the massive ship, without this icon of the capitalist conquest of a territory that is literally melting, van der Werve would never have reached this inhospitable part of the world. Everything is going to be alright, right?
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer dertien, emotional poverty in three effugium (Effugio c, you’re always only half a day away), 2011
In Nummer dertien (number 13), the artist runs for 12 hours around his holiday home in Finland. There’s no prize, no destination, just endurance and pure exhaustion.
Guido van de Werve, Still from Nummer twaalf, variations on a theme (and why a piano can’t be tuned, or waiting for an earthquake), 2009