A Doodle, 2024

Steel, Polyurethane, polyurea with NCS blue coating paint

Next to the railway, between the river Rijn and Arnhem Zuid station, an eight-meter-high sculpture rises. An abstract, irregular tube that extends in all directions, like a three-dimensional doodle. The deep Persian blue contrasts sharply with the green and brown that dominate the surrounding environment. This ‘doodle’, a quick, partly unconscious gesture, a starting point for an action, idea, or concept, contrasts with the planned, orderly layout and design of the neighborhood. The location next to the railway was chosen deliberately. The artwork serves as a striking landmark visible from the train. From the train window, the piece may read two-dimensionally, like a framed abstract drawing or signature.

In the expressive work of Arash Fakhim (1987, Tehran), materiality, the looseness and speed of the gesture, and the play between flatness and spatiality are central. A recurring theme in Fakhim’s practice is the desire to clash with the imposed rules of the medium. Instead of opting for a more traditional material like metal or stone for a public artwork, he chooses polyurethane, the raw material of spray foam, which he coats with a waterproof layer. A metal frame provides form and stability. He shapes the form and surface of the 60-meter-long tube by hand to emphasize expressiveness and looseness.

Fakhim was invited to respond to the landscape of the neighborhood with his work. The artist is fascinated by the neat, linear layout of our landscape, in contrast to, for example, his home country, Iran. He has intensively researched how his work behaves in the boundless public space. Fakhim has sought abstraction and timelessness without sacrificing spontaneity and boldness.

Arash Fakhim, born in Iran, lives and works in Arnhem. In 2016, he graduated from BEAR (fine art) at ArtEZ, Arnhem. His work is included in Collectie De Groen, the collection of Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, and museum De Fundatie.

Find more information here about the completion of 'A Doodle' by Arash Fakhim.

Time Keepers, 2025

Concrete, steel, ...

In the artwork ‘Time Keepers’ by Femke Herregraven (1982, Nijmegen), the future of Schuytgraaf, imagined and told by the children of Schuytgraaf, is buried as a time capsule in the hill next to ‘De Speelgaard’. The hill is cut through by two eight-meter-long walls, on which various ‘Time Keepers’ drawn by children are depicted in reverse relief. They guard the time capsule, which lies beneath the floor of the ‘hall’ and will be excavated in ten years.

Herregraven was commissioned to reflect on the young identity of the neighborhood. Both the residents and the buildings are very young, with the first houses built in 2004. Compared to other neighborhoods in the Netherlands, there are many families with young children. Herregraven asked the children of Schuytgraaf, whom she refers to as the ‘professional dreamers of the future,’ for their vision of the future of the neighborhood. Students from four elementary schools in Schuytgraaf went on a journey of exploration during five lessons. They went on a neighborhood safari with a biologist to fantasize about the future flora and fauna of their neighborhood, and embarked on a journey with a poet to think about language. The material from this research (drawings, clay works, videos, audio recordings, and photos) forms part of the time capsule, as well as the ‘Time Keepers’ radio play, based on their stories.

The form of the artwork, two walls cutting through a hill, is inspired by ‘Land Art’. A movement that responds to landscape features and interventions made in the landscape to create a new experience of the place. The straight, rigid walls contrast with the natural surroundings. The warm terracotta color of the concrete walls stands out against the greenery, further highlighting the hill in the otherwise flat landscape.

Visual artist Herregraven is interested in power systems and the connection between financial markets, international law, geopolitics, ethics, and climate change. In her work, she translates these abstract, complex notions into poetic, playful, sensory works. Femke Herregraven is an alumna of the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam (2017-2018). In 2019, she was nominated for the Prix de Rome. She was also Creator Doctus (practice-oriented PhD) at the Sandberg Institute (2020-2023).

The artwork by Femke Herregraven is still in production and is expected in 2025.

Echo’s from the past, 2024

Beton, staal en archeologische objecten

De van oorsprong Japanse kunstenaar Keiko Sato (1957, Iwaki-City, Japan) is gevraagd om te reflecteren op de rijke geschiedenis van de wijk. Archeologische vondsten tonen aan dat Schuytgraaf zevenduizend jaar geleden al was bewoond. De Midden- en Late IJzertijd, de Romeinse tijd en de vroege Middeleeuwen hebben hun sporen achtergelaten in het gebied, evenals de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De fascinatie van Sato, dochter van een kamikazepiloot, voor deze oorlog komt in ‘Echo’s from the past’ samen met het gegeven van achtergelaten sporen, dat een rode draad vormt in haar werk.

Het koepelvormige object is een ‘schuilplaats’ en refereert aan bunkers uit de Tweede Wereld Oorlog. De twee helften van het bouwwerk vormen een gebroken ei, dat staat voor verwoesting, maar tegelijkertijd symboliseren ze een nieuw begin. Binnenin is een vloerinstallatie te zien, gemaakt met metalen archeologische vondsten uit het gebied. Deze zijn stevig verankerd in beton; ons verleden kunnen we immers niet meer veranderen. De opening tussen de twee ‘eierschalen’ biedt zicht op de lucht, en laat licht binnen. Zo is de schuilplaats ook een plek voor hoop en vrijheid.

De locatie van het werk, aan de voet van een heuvel in de ecologische zone, een soort niemandsland in het midden van de wijk, vormt een essentieel onderdeel van de beleving van het werk. Toen Sato hier voor het eerst op deze open, onbeschutte plek stond, moest ze denken aan de historisch beladen situatie uit 1944, waar geallieerde parachutisten tijdens operatie Market Garden gedropt werden, en in de hinderlaag van de Duitsers terecht kwamen. De openheid van deze plek benadrukte voor haar de kwetsbaarheid van de soldaten.

De in Nijmegen woonachtige Keiko Sato werkte oorspronkelijk als verloskundige in Fukushima. Van 1989-93 studeerde ze aan Goldsmith’s College en Londen en van 1993-95 aan de Jan van Eyck academie in Maastricht. Haar werk is te zien in binnen- en buitenland. In haar werk, vaak bestaand uit vloerinstallaties gemaakt met alledaagse of vergankelijke materialen, staan tegenstellingen als destructie en creatie, maar ook het snijpunt tussen persoonlijke -en wereldgeschiedenis centraal.

Vind hier meer informatie over de oplevering van het werk 'Echo from the past' van Keiko Sato.

De Nimf, 2024

Ceramics and glaze

A clumsy, somewhat 'grumpy' water nymph seems to have just emerged from beneath the water's surface. Her head is covered with water plants, the glossy surface still appearing wet from the water. The young artist Larissa Esvelt (1998, Wageningen) was commissioned to respond to the landscape and specifically the ubiquitous water in the neighborhood. The two-meter-high ceramic water nymph is located in the canoe pond: one of the defining areas of the neighborhood, notably long and wide. From here, you can see from the center of the neighborhood all the way to the Veluwe Massif.

Esvelt was inspired by historical, classical fountains and water artworks. But above all, by what exists beneath the water: the water plants, mussels, fish, and the wealth of color shades of the ever-changing water surface. For Larissa, the figure is a manifestation of the mysterious, the hidden, and the wonderful that lies beneath the surface of not only the water but also the neighborhood as a whole. The high-gloss glaze in shades of green, blue, and brown has been carefully chosen and directly refers to the color shades of the water. The leaves on her head hang heavily over the body and are playfully stylized. The plants also grow in reality on the bottom of the pond. Beneath the figure is a shell, a swan mussel, a species found in Schuytgraaf.

Ceramics can be made extra durable through a special recipe, fired at high temperatures, and by adding materials such as flax, making it highly suitable for public spaces. The work is baked in separate parts and assembled using mortar. The structure and form of the sculpture make it extremely strong and stable.

Esvelt often works with materials and techniques traditionally considered feminine, such as textiles and ceramics. She gives a twist to familiar motifs in art, such as the female body. This is often central to her work, depicted in exaggerated, absurd poses. Her work is, on one hand, appealing due to its rich, humorous, and imaginative character, but on the other hand, it has an uncomfortable quality. She tries to create space and empathy for the 'strange.'

Larissa Esvelt lives and works in Arnhem and The Hague. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at BEAR ArtEZ, Arnhem, in 2020. Starting in 2024, she is pursuing a Master's in Artistic Research at the KABK in The Hague.

Find more information here about the completion of the work 'De Nimf' by Larissa Esvelt.

Take Off, 2024

Steel, aluminum, cast glass, LED lighting, and solar panel

The observation point Take Off by Rob Voerman (1966, Deventer) resembles a spaceship. It gives the impression that it has just landed but may take off again at any moment. Many residents of Schuytgraaf have also 'landed' in the neighborhood from elsewhere and must find their place or may leave in the future. The tower stands on a hill in an open area in the middle of Schuytgraaf. To the north, you can see the Veluwe Massif. The south side offers a view of Park Lingezegen. The east and west provide a panoramic view of the neighborhood. The observation point has two entrances or exits, giving it an open and inviting character. It is also a striking landmark, visible from many places in Schuytgraaf. The red light flashing from the 'antenna' in the evening serves as a beacon.

Voerman was commissioned to deepen the landscape character of the neighborhood. Schuytgraaf, divided into 27 districts, is exceptionally green for a Vinex development. The area was designed to highlight the original Betuwe landscape, resulting in long green zones with meadows, orchards, and ecological corridors between the neighborhoods. With the observation point, the artist aims to emphasize the open, natural character of the location. Voerman personally (with assistance) built the structure, made of aluminum and cast glass components. With the handmade character of the tower, featuring thick welds and irregular shapes, he provides a surprising counterbalance to the neat architecture that characterizes the neighborhood.

This is the first time that a permanent work by the Arnhem-based artist, who is active worldwide, has been placed in his own city. His work primarily consists of architectural objects reminiscent of basic, primitive structures such as huts or shelters, but also incorporating futuristic, utopian elements. Space travel is a recurring theme in his work, along with industrial architecture and Brutalism, where the function of a building strongly determines its form. By combining order, structure, and balance with chaos, transience, and deconstruction, he provides commentary on the over-organized society of modern times.

Rob Voerman lives and works in Arnhem. He studied sculpture at CABK Constantijn Huygens in Kampen from 1990 to 1996. Voerman exhibits his work worldwide, and his pieces are included in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

Find more information here about the completion of Take Off by Rob Voerman.