Feeling. Really feeling, physically feeling, evokes a mental reaction. That is the essence of the work of the German installation and performance artist Aura Rendón Benger (Karlsruhe, 1989). She graduated from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 2014. This is the first exhibition in an exceptional series relating to young talent that museum Beelden aan Zee is organizing in the next five years in collaboration with, and with the support of the Stichting Stokroos.

Stokroos Sculpture Program

The foundation Stichting Stokroos places great importance on high quality in craftsmanship and concept, and works together with a number of Dutch museums. A jury in which Stichting Stokroos and Beelden aan Zee have joined forces will select promising artists who have just completed their studies at the academy and who work three dimensionally. This year’s jury included André Kruysen, Hans van Bentem and Willem Noyons. The choice of Aura Rendón Benger for the Stokroos Sculpture Programme was the reason for this site-specific presentation in museum Beelden aan Zee.

Inflatable objects

The exhibition hall’s panoramic view of the sea, the sky and the tall marram grass of the dunes inspired Aura Rendón Benger to integrate expansiveness, but also a sense of enclosure, in her installation. About this, the young artist says: ‘The element of air is present in every part of my installation, whilst the material absorbs the colours of its surroundings. The installation is the reflection of my sea - my inner sea’. The inflatable objects, which are made of fabric, reflect light, as do the sea and the sky. The visitor is enticed into entering this interactive world of organic, abstract shapes and to not only look at them, but especially to experience them.

All Aura Rendón Benger’s work has its origins in personal experience. She continually makes demands on her viewers’ perceptions and boundaries. The confrontation with her work brings about an intense interplay between feelings of comfort and unease. In this way she creates a tension between observation and physical experience. How far are her viewers prepared to follow her in pushing their boundaries?