Dolf Henkes Award 2012

At the bequest of the Rotterdam artist and city chronicler Dolf Henkes (1903-1989) the Award is intended to reward artists who, like the award’s namesake, make an important contribution to the arts in the city. Previous winners of the award are Jeroen Eisinga, Erik van Lieshout, Melvin Moti and Lara Almarcegui. Winner of the 2012 edition was Gyz La Rivière.

Carla Klein (Zwolle, 1970) paints landscapes, industrial areas, and muted cityscapes based on photographs. Her works are often large, monochrome in colour, and painted in a typical grey-blue colour palette. The compositions emphasize the impact of photographic printing and processing on painting, which in turn creates an abstraction of image.

Gyz La Rivière (Rotterdam, 1976) is a multidisciplinary artist who seeks out the boundaries of art by researching its connections to mass media and popular culture. He makes films, books, installations and performances in which the city of Rotterdam plays the leading role. La Rivière depicts the urban problems of Rotterdam in energetic art projects and distinctive publications. He published the acclaimed book, Rotterdam 2040, in which he philosophises about the future of his favoured city from the perspective of its exceptional past.

Renie Spoelstra (Drachten, 1974) is a master of stillness. She makes monumental charcoal drawings with a deliberate absence of climax. She uses self made pictures and film stills of natural and recreational areas to create her majestic drawings in which the time and characteristics of place cease to be visible. The results are universal views of dark forest landscapes full of restrained tension typical of her oeuvre.

The jury
The jury of the Dolf Henkes Award 2012 consisted of Joop van Caldenborgh (chairman, art collector), Lara Almarcegui (artist, winner Dolf Henkes Award 2010), Sandra Smets (art critic) and Wilma Sütö (curator modern art Stedelijk Museum Schiedam).

From the jury report
“The presentations of the three nominees form a challenging combination. None of them are afraid of grand gestures and all provide a glimpse of the contemporary world: Carla Klein through her photographic views and Renie Spoelstra in her dark, recreational landscapes. Gyz La Rivière convinces the jury the most with his innovative art in which he, with his history, humor, and critical gaze, connects the city of Rotterdam and the world beyond. We see in La Rivière a modern version of the award’s idiosyncratic namesake, the artist Dolf Henkes, who, like La Rivière, was very connected with Rotterdam and not afraid to tread new paths. Gyz breathes life into the city and makes art that is completely of his own making. La Rivière is the rightful winner of Dolf Henkes Award 2012 and receives 12,000 euros.”