Bud Powell is playing willingly through Henny Overbeek’s (1971) studio, Dance of the Infidels. Whenever
one enters Overbeek’s studio you’ll invariably hear a tough record from one of
his jazz heroes, mostly dating from the prolific period between the 50’s and
the 70’s. These records carry the undertones in Overbeek’s artwork, that in
recent years has developed into an explosive mixture of paintings, photo’s,
collages, publications, public interventions and jazz in the broad sense.
“RICH MAN BURNS CASH!” Overbeek borrows and takes his imagery and lyrics from various sources, to subsequently work them through with great precision, mold and combine them into the language he wants to speak. This language borrows it’s authenticity and freshness from the strange intercultural combinations of images and meaning that create a world in which obscure rituals go hand in hand with religion, revolution, African tabloid headlines, and of course jazz. A good swing, a pumping rhythm section, the recurring theme and not to forget the crystal clear and clamant improvisation. Looking at Overbeek’s collages it is easy to relate to compositions. In his picturesque improvisation Overbeek is out there, without ever loosing sight on the big scheme. A well timed ‘clash beng’ followed by a dark bass loop. A theme that borrows from African and western sources, ranging from so called street art to Polke, from obscure tabloids to personal snapshots. Art goes hand in hand with ‘anti art’. African studio photographers shoot utopian dream scenario’s for the people in awkward settings, collages of painted cardboard. Director Jim Jarmusch creates artificial alienation in stylized compositions. John Baldessari ruthlessly breaks up image and significance to fuse new scenes, more timeless, loose, and Martin Kippenberger…well…is Kippenberger. Also titles on worn records often generate new images for Overbeek, like a scene generator for scenes of a bigger, not yet fully visible world, like Pictures in the reflection of a golden horn…
In recent years Overbeek started to work more and more on artists books alongside his studio work and projects. Most of these books are made in collaboration with other artists and have the feel – besides their specific content – of an after hours jam session. The title for this ongoing project that is steadily growing out of proportion ‘The Books Happen’ states exactly what is happening. Starting from a dummy, Overbeek will set the tone of a book and send it to a colleague to react to his open invitation. He or she will send it back after a while and Overbeek will visually react again to whatever he or she has been doing in or to the book, and so on. And the books happen. With a variety of different artists, designers and writers involved in one or more books, this project is rapidly forming a visual library of wild improvisations, fleeting thoughts, visual warfare, poetic lines, out of space references, electric short cuts, rough material and some solid handicraft...
Paul Segers
“RICH MAN BURNS CASH!” Overbeek borrows and takes his imagery and lyrics from various sources, to subsequently work them through with great precision, mold and combine them into the language he wants to speak. This language borrows it’s authenticity and freshness from the strange intercultural combinations of images and meaning that create a world in which obscure rituals go hand in hand with religion, revolution, African tabloid headlines, and of course jazz. A good swing, a pumping rhythm section, the recurring theme and not to forget the crystal clear and clamant improvisation. Looking at Overbeek’s collages it is easy to relate to compositions. In his picturesque improvisation Overbeek is out there, without ever loosing sight on the big scheme. A well timed ‘clash beng’ followed by a dark bass loop. A theme that borrows from African and western sources, ranging from so called street art to Polke, from obscure tabloids to personal snapshots. Art goes hand in hand with ‘anti art’. African studio photographers shoot utopian dream scenario’s for the people in awkward settings, collages of painted cardboard. Director Jim Jarmusch creates artificial alienation in stylized compositions. John Baldessari ruthlessly breaks up image and significance to fuse new scenes, more timeless, loose, and Martin Kippenberger…well…is Kippenberger. Also titles on worn records often generate new images for Overbeek, like a scene generator for scenes of a bigger, not yet fully visible world, like Pictures in the reflection of a golden horn…
In recent years Overbeek started to work more and more on artists books alongside his studio work and projects. Most of these books are made in collaboration with other artists and have the feel – besides their specific content – of an after hours jam session. The title for this ongoing project that is steadily growing out of proportion ‘The Books Happen’ states exactly what is happening. Starting from a dummy, Overbeek will set the tone of a book and send it to a colleague to react to his open invitation. He or she will send it back after a while and Overbeek will visually react again to whatever he or she has been doing in or to the book, and so on. And the books happen. With a variety of different artists, designers and writers involved in one or more books, this project is rapidly forming a visual library of wild improvisations, fleeting thoughts, visual warfare, poetic lines, out of space references, electric short cuts, rough material and some solid handicraft...
Paul Segers