Artist in residence

For several years now, Post Erasmuslaan 5 has been offering artists, architects, designers, etc. the opportunity to be artists in residence for a period of time.

During the artist in residency you can work, do research and be inspired by the various other residents who work in the building. But also by visitors to Erasmuslaan 5. Professionals in the fields of architecture, interior architecture and design work in the building. There is also an art gallery with mainly geometric abstract art.

The house is visited throughout the year by international architects and others interested in the work of Gerrit Rietveld and architecture in general. But also by art lovers, clients, manufacturers and suppliers. In short, a house in which several disciplines carry out their work.

To be inspired by the creative environment and the multidisciplinary networks is the goal of the artist in residency.

Once every two years, work, experiences or findings are presented in a joint exhibition in the gallery space.

Cor van der Meijden

Artist in residence in November 2022

“The aim of the 'artist in residence' period at PE5 'Post Erasmuslaan 5' was to let me, as a visual artist, be inspired by the architecture, formal language and ideas of architect Gerrit Rietveld. I was very curious what this could mean for my visual work.

In preparation for the work period, I first studied the formal language and ideas of Rietveld by reading a lot about it. After that I became a member of the Rietveldhuizen VVE and visited several Rietveld houses and pavilions. I also visited architect Bertus Mulder, who worked with Gerrit Rietveld for a number of years and later restored several Rietveld buildings, including the iconic Rietveld Schröder House and the Rietveld Pavilion in Otterlo. I have visited the Rietveld Schröder House more often in the past, but now I got the chance to get a unique private tour outside the regular opening hours from Natalie Dubois, curator of applied art and design at the Centraal Museum Utrecht. I couldn't have wished for a better preparation for the 'artist in residence'!

While setting up my workspace on the second floor at the rear of PE5, I found a number of sample books in a cupboard, which I could use for my visual work. A great start for an artist who makes abstract collages from found paper and cardboard.

In the more than four weeks that I have worked in PE5, ten collages have been created. While designing it I focused on the simplest possible design by using geometric abstract shapes and a minimum of colors. By placing them in asymmetrical compositions, in which the shapes are often positioned at right angles like windmill blades, I have tried to achieve a clear balance of boundaries and openness. This is to do justice to the design principles of light, space and austerity used by 'space artist' Gerrit Rietveld.

During the preparations for the 'artist in residence' period, I had noticed that, in addition to drawn design sketches as the first visualization of his design ideas, Rietveld also regularly made simple 'sketch models' from pieces of cardboard. That fact has challenged me to make a number of 'three-dimensional collages' with small cardboard boxes.

I am happy with the end result of this 'artist in residence' period. Rietveld's design language has successfully inspired me to a more minimalistic design that I had been looking for for some time!"