until August 23, 2020
Almost ten years ago Martin and Inge Riebeek (1957, 1964) made their first video portrait for The Essential. This collection now includes more than 500 portraits of people from 23 different countries. The artists ask each subject the same question: what is the essence of your life right now? Because their answers are recorded in one take, the portraits take on the character of personal encounters.
In Save Me From This Cold, Martin and Inge Riebeek show a selection from The Essential based on three themes: the position of women, the desire for love and security, and faith and morality. Serra from Istanbul is worried because women in Turkey are losing their acquired rights. Inesa from Kiev misses her lover who was shot during the war with Russia. In the last series, Josphat from Nairobi tells how he has murdered and tortured, but has been converted: "I spoke with God and he has forgiven me."
Breathtaking portraits that examine big questions from the present moment. Each person carries a story. Together, those stories intertwine a long line of questions into a confusing puzzle. Fate is not always fair or kind. "
From April 11 to January 3, 2021, several video portraits from The Essential will also feature in the museum's permanent exhibition, entitled The Collection x Martin and Inge Riebeek.
Images: stills from the video portraits of Selasie Djameh (Accra 2018) and Maria Kulikovska (Kiev 2016) from The Essential, Martin en Inge Riebeek.