Van Hove’s talk is part of a larger series of what the artist labeled “storytelling objects” rather than lectures. Each of these uses a number of earlier works and interventions -some unfinished or never even shown- as the base for a display of ideas and ruminations believed to be more meaningfully conveyed through stories. The ‘traveling artist’ is here in some way similar to the Kamishibai of Japan who, between the two World Wars, was telling from the back of his bike different stories based on a number of picture cards. In his talk Eric Van Hove will introduce several recent works and site specific installations in Senegal, Costa-Rica, Japan, Iran, Madagascar and Egypt.
One can also think of the bakhshi or Ashug of central Asia or the itinerant storytellers of Africa (mikilist of the Congos, Griots of Mali, bards, ashiks, jyrau who go from one village to the next, unfolding a story. Van Hove will also show a video piece (Abreaction series) made during the Shanghai Biennial in 2004, as well as introduce a recent work – ‘Off the record’ for which the artists created a short-lasting tactical art platform by hijacking a recently installed cell phone-run locker system in Tokyo. Van Hove’s is organized in collaboration with Croatian Photo Association at HFS project space, Vinogradska 14.
Born in Algeria the same year Bas Jan Ader was lost at sea, Van Hove spent most of his youth in YaoundeÅL (Cameroon). He graduated from E.R.G. in Brussels, studied Traditional Japanese Calligraphy (MfA, Tokyo) and is Doctor of Arts (D.A.) from the Tokyo Geidai University of Fine Arts and Music. His work often ponder and cross-refers to sociological, political and ecological issues, while simultaneously addressing local and global concerns. He is based Brussels and Tokyo.
