dyckman farmhouse

5 DUTCH DAYS 5 BOROUGHS

HOME | LAND - Tanja Smeets @ Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
UNBRIDLED FRACTALS
November 12 - December 13, 2009

Amorphous sculptures have found their way into the farmhouse. Experience
Smeets' extraordinary creations, specially made for Dyckman Farmhouse.
Exploring what history left behind,her sculptures of uncommon materials grow in
secret places.

Tanja Smeets invades the historic Dyckman Farmhouse Museum and its
grounds with her colorful organic, biomorphic sculptures to investigate the theme
of roots and belonging. Dyckman Farmhouse was built by William Dyckman c.
1784 on land gathered by generations of Dyckmans, starting with the first family
member to arrive in the 1660's. While Smeets considers these previous claims
of ownership she treats the historic structure as a canvas to explore her ideas.
Rather than 18th century goods, her sculptures use industrial materials, such as
Lycra threads, plastic hoses, and concrete spacers.She develops hyperorganic
shapes that can ooze through barriers, infiltrating and merging with the identity
of the historic site. Her sculptural creatures challenge viewers to consider how
and why they determine something or someone belongs. The farmhouse is an
ideal setting for these explorations because it is itself an unexpected "creature"
in its urban neighborhood. In her work at the Dyckman Farmhouse Tanja uses
the concept of fractals, infinitely complex and irregular organic shapes that
interweave with their environment.

Curated by Jo-Anneke van der Molen

These projects are part of HOME|LAND - Contemporary Dutch Art @
Historic Sites, 5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs' Quadricentennial project,
which has been made possible in part with support from the
Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York as part of its
NY400 celebrations.

The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is owned by the New York City Department of
Parks & Recreation and is a member of the Historic House Trust.