Bas Steens

Behind these windows is the depot of Stadsarchief Breda. The artwork is a collage of various objects, documents and photographs from this special archive.

The artwork is inspired by carnival masks and costumes found in the archive and reportage photos by Johan van Gurp, in which a hippo swam around for hours in Breda’s canal, or a procession of elephants walked through the center. This Blind Wall highlights the craziness and liveliness of the city during carnival and shows funny images from the archive.

Artist Bas Steens made collages of old prints, paintings, glass negatives, photographs, letters and slides, inspired by the oldest and most striking visual documents he discovered in the archives. By combining old techniques and materials with digital post-processing, chalk and spray paint, it becomes a vivid and contemporary representation of the city and the contents of the city archives.

 

This Blind Wall is a collaboration with Stadsarchief Breda.