Shopping on the Border - Jhonie van Boeijen
About this activity.
The exhibition "Shopping on the Border" by Jhonie van Boeijen opens on Thursday 29 September at 4.30 pm. Jhonie van Boeijen won the George Verberg Stipendium in 2020 and researched the Harryhandel phenomenon in Norway and Sweden. Her artistic exploration of identity and consumerism took an exciting turn when the borders closed for the first time in 72 years during the global pandemic. Now the trade is flourishing as usual and she is presenting her research with an exhibition at Academie Minerva.
Harryhandel and super malls
Harryhandel could be translated as "ordinary shopping" and stands for cross-border shopping trips from Norway to Sweden - mainly to buy food, alcohol and tobacco at lower prices than in their own country. On the border between Norway and Sweden, an economy has emerged that facilitates this phenomenon through mega-malls. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns in Norway, this economic structure collapsed when customers, sometimes even coming from Oslo, were unable to travel.
Artistic research into identity and consumerism
Jhonie van Boeijen connected the concept of Harryhandel with her artistic practice. Her work explores how merchandise reflects our identity and personality, enabling us to look at consumerism differently. Van Boeijen believes that the products that we buy, and that she paints, can be transformed into character traits that ultimately form a kind of self-portrait.
Shopping on the border
For the George Verberg Stipendium, she collected an extensive collection of international, unique, limited-edition packaging and products from Swedish super malls and used them to 'design' exclusive, high-end shopping bags. With this project, the artist is building on her international archive of products that show a glimpse of the possible range of future supermarkets. At the same time, Van Boeijen wants to contribute to nutritional awareness and the sustainability of our groceries.
Her paintings and installation will be exhibited together during the opening of a fictional supermarket in the Dome Hall of Academie Minerva. To prevent food waste, the products are donated to the food bank in Groningen.
Academie Minerva.
Academie Minerva is een van de 18 schools van de Hanzehogeschool Groningen en biedt een breed en uniek aanbod kunstvakopleidingen op bachelor- en masterniveau. Met aanlegsteigers vanuit de opleidingen van de academie en het Kenniscentrum Kunst en Samenleving, worden regelmatig bijzondere en inspirerende activiteiten georganiseerd, zoals exposities, lezingen, debatten, filmprogramma's, workshops en masterclasses.
Location.
Academie Minerva (Praediniussingel)
Praediniussingel 59
9711 AG Groningen
tel 050 595 1201
www.academieminerva.nl