Teun Vonk
[NL]
Today in 2017, we can go days on end without being reminded of our bodies themselves, the primary function of which seems to be the transport of our head from one interface to another. In his work, photographer and video artist Teun Vonk creates works that directly feature and interact with his own body and the bodies of his viewers.
In Vonk’s earlier works, mechanical installations served as a means through which to instigate a physical interaction, and these interactions were then documented and passively viewed. In his newer work, the provocative constructions themselves are now the primary focus of installations, thereby giving visitors the chance to undergo a constructed physical experience first-hand. Vonk’s work is a subtle, focused reminder of what the body is and what it is capable of. The CTM 2018 exhibition will feature his installation The Physical Mind, which invites participants to experience the relationship between their physical and mental states by applying physical pressure to the body via two massive inflatable pillows.
Vonk earned a Bachelor’s in photography from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (NL) and MBOs in photography and multimedia graphics from schools in Den Bosch and Eindhoven. He has received grants from CBK Rotterdam and the Mondriaan Fund. He has shown in solo and group exhibitions at Fondation Cartier in Paris, STRP Biënnale in Eindhoven, and Ars Electronica 2016 in Austria, among many other venues & events, and participated in residencies at the Chronus Art Center in Shanghai (2015) and the VHDG/SRV Mobile residency in Leeuwarden, NL (2014).
