MaMA 

NEOTRAD is a group exhibition that engages with the re-emergence of interest for traditional decorative crafts and techniques and the search for a regional cultural heritage. All are increasingly visible in the preoccupations of curators, contemporary artists and audiences.

The artists have trained and specialised in recognisable techniques, sharing a preference for traditional craft. In their work they research and re-interpret regional cultural roots. Although these makers lure us into forgotten times and fantastic mindsets, their work is a lot less non-committal than it seems at first glance.

Megumi Nakano produces computer prints in which graceful figurines herald the four seasons or depict the elements. Her work is both a tribute to the 17th century woodcut prints of Japan as it is to the modern Manga, which she grew up with.

In the oil paintings of Cirque de Pepin 19th century ‘In Memoriam’ cards and the Spanish Baroque painters are the source of a fantastic and colourful universe.

The gigantic pencil drawings by the American Mike Paré spotlight the liberal youth movements, such as the freedom movement that flourished in the sixties and beginning of the seventies. Due to their numbers and omni-presence in the media they were a nightmare for any politician in power. Paré ‘s drawings depict sit-ins, be-ins and legendary pop festivals like Altamont. ‘I focus on these events, in order to learn something from these idealists and their (cultural) heritage. Especially in the post 9-11 context they have a lot to offer.’

Finally there is Rafani. The series Czech Forest, by this Prague artist collective, shows initially idyllic pictures of forest and agricultural scenes. Rafani addresses the issue of Sudetenland. The details and the slogans within the works dislocate the elegant cut-out silhouette technique.