FRED BENJAMINS
Fred Benjamins † (Jokjakarta 1943 - 2012 Haarlem) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and sculptor. He was a student of Ateliers '63 and his teachers were Wessel Couzijn and Shinkichi Tajiri. He mainly made abstract, non-figurative works of art.
The wooden clogs of Nusantara
This installation: ‘The wooden clogs of Nusantara’ includes wooden clogs and pictures. The clogs are hand made out of a large piece of wood, stripped layer by layer... The process and the sound of chopping wood is almost meditative.
Above each piece hangs a matching frame with a picture of Fred Benjamins himself throughout the years. The work shows us an life path, started in Indonesia (where Fred was born), then continues in the Netherlands. Clogs like this are typical for the dutch culture. Back in the days, when a girl loved a boy, she would give him a pair. Wen he returned from the long work day and had put on the clog, she knew he loved her to.
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Fred Benjamins passed away in 2012. He wanted to be returned to his birthplace Jokjakarta. His brother Victor Benjamins, who now is the oldest brother in the family, brought his ashes back to Indonesia and scattered them. Victor continued the artwork for his brother and in the last frames now hangs his pictures. Can you tell them apart?