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Hein van Haaren, Erik Hagoort, Frank van de Schoor, Ank Leeuw Marcar Woody van Amen, Crossing Worlds Design: Karel Martens in cooperation with Aagje Martens, Sewn, illustrated (ca. 1.000 in colour and b/w), 400 pages, size: 27,2 x 21 cm Also available in special edition, € 100,00 NAi Publishers in cooperation with Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen
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Woody van Amen (b. 1936, Eindhoven) has been active as a visual artist for over forty years, during which time he has built up a wide-ranging, prolific and appealing body of work as well as occupying an important place in the Dutch art world. This is the first in-depth retrospective (1960 - 2003) of Van Amen's work, which is firmly rooted in the pop art practice of working with the everyday, with the objet trouvé. As well as the everyday, Van Amen is fascinated by ancient religious or spiritual symbols. From his many travels, chiefly to Southeast Asia, he brings back images that he subsequently incorporates into his work, effectively forging links between ostensibly very different cultures. The cultures based on Hinduism and Buddhism have proved to be a particularly rich source of inspiration. The book was developed by Woody van Amen in close collaboration with graphic designer Karel Martens, founder of the Werkplaats Typografie (Typography Workshop) in Arnhem. This has resulted in a highly exciting visual composition, in which rhythm, repetition and zooming in and out create a stunning overview of van Amen's work. The chapters of images and the explanation of art-historical traditions and lines of development based on Western and non-Western symbolism make this an interesting publication for art-lovers as well as for people who are visually oriented or interested in the intercultural. The book includes an essay by art historian Frank van de Schoor (also curator at Museum het Valkhof) about the early days of the pop-art era, an article by theologian and art critic Erik Hagoort that explores the religious and spiritual aspects in van Amen's work, and a biographical overview by art historian Ank Leeuw Marcar.
