By Anissa Jousset
Arts & Culture Section Editor
On Mark Manders’ installation in the Vleeshal
Ever look at a work of art and wonder what was going on in the mind of the artist 
when they created it? Enter Acolyte Frena, the Marc Manders installation in the Vleeshal. Constructed white walls create two rooms through which the visitors are invited to walk. One of these rooms contains a clay sculpture while the other is the artist’s studio. This may sound strange at first, but a brief knowledge of installation art suggests otherwise: What Dutch artist Marc Manders has created here is more than a work of art, it is an invitation to a very special place: the inside of his head. Visitors are instructed to walk around at will, all on a look-but-don’t-touch basis.
Acolyte Frena is part of Manders’ Self Portrait as a Building series, which he began in 1986. For this particular exhibit he has chosen to depict his studio, as it looks in everyday life, as if he had just left the room. He does so in the following fashion: a floor covered in tarp, strew with various tools, vintage tea bags, unworked blocks of clay and wooden planks aligned neatly against the wall. The most intriguing element, which seems to stand out amongst the strategically laid out mess is a big glass case, placed upon a tall wooden sawhorse. In this case the crumpled pages of a newspaper of which the headline reads “Diocesan Elitists?” can be seen. This is another reference to a previous series Manders created entitled Fake Newspapers.
If one looks closely, more pages of the sorts can be seen hidden amongst the shabby cushions of the tattered chairs or the late 1970’s turntable also present in the room. The highly personal aspect of this exhibition shines not only through the fact that it represents the artist’s studio, but also through the personal photographs and sketches he has chosen to display and the little details that pop up in the corners, such as the row of retro looking Pickwick teabags carefully placed on the left hand side of the glass case. Little details like this leave you with the feeling that you almost shouldn’t be there, a sort of phantom voyeurism that a child might feel when going through through their mother’s purse without permission.
Acolyte Frena is a fascinating expo for those who like to explore the personal space of others, those who need to reconcile with contemporary art or veterans of the Interpreting Modern Art course. It is right around the corner from school and you can get in for the price of a smile.
Acolyte Frena is on display in the Vleeshal until March 23rd 2014.
Anissa Jousset,Class of 2014 is a Film and Philosphy major from New York City,NY
