Linke Hobbies (2011)

Linke hobbies (translation: left-wing hobbies) is an installation with a ironic tongue-in-cheek political motivation. In 2011 in The Netherlands there was a cultural witch hunt happening, in which right wing politicians tried to justify the enormous cut backs and reforms that were done to the national culture budget. Right-wing infant-terrible politician Wilders called art careers and cultural jobs ‘left-wing hobbies’, and this became a running gag among artists in this period.

The installation consists of 53 stone tiles and is 3 x 4 meters. It is a hopscotch course, like the ones used on playgrounds. The numbered tiles contain banana peels, pushpins, nails, marbles and mousetraps. In the end of the track there is a rollator. This hopscotch track is an obstacle course for the starting artist in The Netherlands.