Tension II Sculpture

biography / statement Ronald van der Meijs (1966) lives and works in Amsterdam. He graduated cum laude at AKV|St.Joost Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Breda, Netherlands. He received the Haarlem Vishal Art Price 2015, was nominated for the Prix Ars Electronica '17 and shortlisted for the Witteveen & Bos Kunst en Techniek Price 2018. He exhibited at the IJssel Biennale, Dordrechts Museum, Centraal Museum Utrecht, DordtYart in Dordrecht, Fabbrica Europa Florence, Centro de Arte Complutense Madrid, Verbeke Foundation in Kemzeke, Triënnale New Media Art at National Art Museum Of China Beijing, Sculpture Space in Utica New York, File in Sao Paulo, Land Art Biennial Mongolia, Kapelica Gallery in Ljubljana, ERES Foundation in Munich and at the Sanaa Building Zollverein Essen University of Arts. His work is often situated in public space as temporary and permanent installation art. He received art commissions of the Dutch Government including a major sculptural assignment for the new Head Quarters of Europol in The Hague. Besides exhibiting his installation works he also performes with them in order to create a new dialogue between the installation, its generated sounds and digital synthesis techniques which forms a new intermediary with the audience. How do we relate to nature? Van der Meijs develops location based sound installations that show how we relate to nature in our completely designed technocratic society. These technical structures are a reflection on the location and its history. In his research the concept of acceptance plays a key role by creating a new dialogue between nature and technology, or nature versus culture. By realizing these site-specific art projects, a new relationship between people, technology and nature is explored. Through exhibitions, interventions and performances, alternative experiences are offered that allow us to rethink how we view and interact with nature, our culture and the planet. Unpredictable and slow natural processes control the mechanical installation and form a generative concept of sound, space and time. This process acts like a natural sequencer and generates a sound composition which is constantly changing as it draws a parallel to nature itself. Here the installation as well as the viewer have to accept the terms of these natural elements. This creates a field of tension.