Sarah van Sonsbeeck

artist working with immaterial architecture and the ownership of space

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'Silent guard', (actor, museum rope, prohibition sign, poles, chair, 5x5 m), Sarah van Sonsbeeck 2010 - Artwork commissioned by 'De Nacht van Duivenvoorde', group show with Gabriel Lester, Michael Portnoy, Amie Dicke e.a. Sarah van Sonsbeeck

Sarah van Sonsbeeck is an Amsterdam based artist working with immaterial architecture and the ownership of space. She is a former resident of the Rijksakademie and studied architecture (MA) and Fine Arts (BA).

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Metropolis M: 'Starry, Starry night. De nacht van Duivenvoorde' (30/06/2010) by Alexander Mayhew

"Of a more subtle theatricality was Silent Guard by Sarah van Sonsbeeck, a new work meaning to give the former owners of the estate a place in the exhibition. Van Sonsbeeck found on days the castle is open to public, the family still living in the left wing, can be seen drinking coffee behind a red rope with the sigh ‘private’. During the ‘Night of Duivenvoorde Van Sonsbeeck wanted to give them back some place of their own. By means of a similar red cord she marked a square partition of the grass in front of the castle. In the middle of this square she placed a sign saying ‘No entry’. For security reasons a museum attendant sat on a chair next to the work, the ‘Silent Guard’. He was however anything but silent, gladly answering questions of visitors and shedding a light on the work and its background from his very private point of view. Entry to the piece of land remained however forbidden. The attendant aside, Van Sonsbeecks work proffered a very minimalistic monument to the family of the castle, forced to share the space with the public. … Most works of were mainly powerful in the moment and context of this one night. The exception being Van Sonsbeecks piece that might well manifest itself on other locations as a monument to the disregarded."

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