# Roos Theuws

Roos Theuws (Valkenswaard, 1957) is a Dutch media and video artist.

## Life

Roos Theuws studied from 1974 to 1979 in Tilburg to become a Tehatex teacher (also known as "Tekenen, Handvaardigheid en Textiele werkvormen"). From 1981 to 1983 she went to the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht. With the Stichting Time Based Arts, founded in 1983, she aimed to make the form of video art to be recognized by museums and galleries at the same level as other art mediums. Roos Theuws was closely related to the Association of Video Artists who helped shape the creation of Montevideo / Time Based Arts in 1986. It became the national centre for media art in the Netherlands and supported the creation of video art in a period when the Dutch video art movement was still struggling with the challenges of acknowledging video art as an art form. Since 1995 she teaches in Amsterdam at the Fine Arts departement of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie.

## Reception within the Netherlands (notable group exhibitions)
### Negen (Nine)

Witte de With organized the group exhibition Negen (Nine) in 1991 to present the qualities of contemporary art in the Netherlands at the time. Chris Dercon and Gosse Oosterhof who curated the exhibition, stated that there was little in Dutch art to get excited about. The artworks in the show were exceptions and transcended “such vague notions as regionalism and nationalism.” After its debut in Rotterdam the exhibition travelled to three other venues in Europe: the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, the Kunstverein in Düsseldorf and the Provinciaal Museum in Hasselt.
According to Lynne Cooke most participating artists were involved in continuing a longstanding tradition centering in on seventeenth-century Dutch art. The art historian referenced The Art of Describing: Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century by Svetlana Alpers. Among other artworks Forma Lucis III (1986), Forma Lucis IX (1989) and Untitled (So That I Can Build For Him A House no. 4) (1990) by Roos Theuws were part of the exhibition. Lynne Cooke claimed the visual inspection, empirical curiosity and the objective scrutiny of the eye explored in the artworks were “directed to ends that bypass symbol and allegory, leaving apprehension in the realm of sensation, of the seen.” Curator Jan van Adrichem claimed that the installations by Roos Theuws expressed the artist's interest in the visual properties of light.

### IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch art

Forma Lucis VI (1989) by Roos Theuws was part of the exhibition IMAGO. It was a traveling exhibition, financed by the Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst (The Netherlands Office for Fine Arts), about contemporary art and technology. For the exhibition, René Coelho brought together the work of 14 Dutch artists who all believed that the creative potential of contemporary technology should be explored. At the end of the twentieth century artists wanted to show that the "efficient, dominating and massifying products of electronics" could be used for more beautiful and imaginative purposes. These artworks were shown in venues in Switzerland, Japan, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Taiwan.
The catalogue of the exhibition contains a dialogue between sociologist and media researcher Volker Grassmuck and economist and philosopher Asada Akira. The latter argues that contemporary media art consisted of a critical analysis of the system of representation. According to Asada Akirta the relationship between contemporary art and technology was similar to the relationship in the seventeenth century between the artworks by Vermeer and the research by Christiaan Huyghens and Van Leeuwenhoek who laid the foundation for optics.

## Collaborations

Roos Theuws worked with Kasia Glowicka, who composed music for the artwork CONVOLUTION KERNEL II (2008). The collaboration also went the other way, with Glowicka's live performance Quasi Rublev (2009) being accompanied by visuals from video artists, including by Roos Theuws. Also was the composition Luminescence (2009) inspired by Roos Theuws' concept of light.
The departement of optics at Universiteit van Amsterdam are credited for their help for in an artwork from 1984. To make the artwork Kitab al Manazir (2014), Roos Theuws worked with the collection from the science museum Museum Boerhaave.

## Overview of artworks

Non-exhaustive list of artworks: :
| Year | Title | In collection of | Identifier | Format / Materials | Size |
| 2006 | GAUSSIAN BLUR | | | single channel video | 14'' |
| 2007 | FRIGHTFLIGHTFIGHT | | | single channel video | 3.15'' |
| 2007 | CONVOLUTION KERNEL I | | | multichannel video | 50.15'' |
| 2008 | CONVOLUTION KERNEL II | | | multichannel video | 15'' |
| 2005 | THE HAZARD RATE 1 | | | single channel video | 4' |
| 2005 | THE HORSESMITH | | | two channel video | 4.07'' |
| 2005 | THE HAZARD RATE 2 | | | single channel video | 3.15'' |
| 1997 | 214 SLAGEN | | | single channel video | 2.07'' |
| 2005 | VOYAGER I | | | c-print | 192,5 x 129 cm |
| 2005 | VOYAGER II | | | c-print | 192,5 x 129 cm |
| 2005 | VOYAGER III | | | c-print | 192,5 x 129 cm |
| 2005 | VOYAGER IV | | | c-print | 192,5 x 129 cm |
| 2005 | WANGANUI I | museum Huis Marseille | HMA-2007-13 | c-print | 192,5 x 129,5 cm |
| 2005 | WANGANUI II | museum Huis Marseille | HMA-2007-14 | c-print | 192,5 x 129,5 cm |
| | WANGANUI III | | | c-print | 192,5 x 129,5 cm |
| | WANGANUI IV | | | c-print | 192,5 x 129,5 cm |
| | HET BEHOUDEN HUYS I | | | c-print | |
| 2002 | BEG, SCREAM & SHOUT | Balthasarschans, Gemeente Zoetemeer | 2154 | cast aluminium, basaltstones | |
| 1998 | BEG, SCREAM & SHOUT | | | video-installation, (216 beats), 2 beamers | |
| | CATCH ON THE REBOUND | | | hospital linen, iron frame with hook, latex, roofmate | 270 x 50 x 50 cm |
| 1985 | FORMA LUCIS II | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam | BA 4036(1-4)_239 | videosculpture | 129 x 80 x 90 cm |
| 1986 | FORMA LUCIS III | Bonnefantenmuseum | 1003567 | 2 monitors, multiplex | 15 minutes and 210 x 120 x 90 cm |
| 1991 | Heart & Eyes | Bonnefantenmuseum | 1003723 | cast aluminium, aluminium tubes, wax | 299 x 103 x 66 cm |
| 1987 | Zonder titel | Bonnefantenmuseum | 1003529 | glas, aluminium, steel, varnish | 115 x 219 x 4 cm |
| 1993 | Zonder titel | Bonnefantenmuseum | 1004067 | wood, styren-butadien rubber, handmade white gesso paint, clamps | 140 x 100 x 55 cm |
| 1990 | FORMA LUCIS V | | | 2 monitors, videosculpture, perspex, wood | |
| 1989 | FORMA LUCIS VI | Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed and LIMA | inv. nr. K90112 A-G | Plywood, glass, paint, 2 CRT monitors, 2 video files, media players | 65 x 105 x 83 cm & 65 x 195 x 83 cm, 21'33" & 8'00" |
| 1991 | FORMA LUCIS IX | Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed | | glass, wood, perspex, video, 2 monitors | 65 x 88 x 112 cm |
| 1994 | FORMA LUCIS XIII (DIE GESCHEITERTE HOFFNUNG) | | | | 204 x 237 x 205 cm |
| 1997 | UNEQUAL THINGS MEASURED BY EACH OTHER | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam | 1999.1.0114(1-3) | video + monitor, wax, roofmate, hospital linen, iron frame, hook, wire | 300 x 475 x 600 cm |
| 1993 | O & E | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam | 1993.1.0303 | iron, wood, aluminium, rubber tubing, lamps, electricity wire, fluorescent light-tubes | 135 x 280.5 x 200 cm |
| 1994 | SO THAT I CAN BUILD FOR HIM A HOUSE | | | iron, rotating motor on timer, stainless steel mill, text | |
| 1996 | WO EIS IST, IST KÜHLE FÜR ZWEI | | | iron tableframe, axe, wire, roofmate, hospital linen | 240 x 180 x 190 cm |
| 1993 | FIRST STEPS | | | aluminium, red rubber tubing, clips, coasters | 97 x 180 x 188 cm |
| 1993 | TUMBLED OVER RIM | | | iron, wood, aluminium, rubber tubing, lamps, electricity wire, monitor | 120 x 280 x 200 cm |
| 1994 | ROGIER V.D. WEIJDEN | | | steel, monitor, rubber tubing | 220 x 240 x 90 cm |
| 1998 | WALL I | | | papier-mâché, wood, chicken wire | 270 x 180x 60 cm |
| 1999 | BALANCING WALL | | | papier-mâché, chicken wire, wood, steel beam, small monitor | 280 x 260 x 70 cm |
| 1998 | 2 WALLS | | | papier-mâché, chicken wire, coasters, wood | 220 x 190 x 44 cm and 210 x 170 x 70 cm |
| 1990 | SO THAT I CAN BUILD FOR HIM A HOUSE (2) | | | iron, stainless steel, text, motor with interval circuit, cable | 51 x 56 x 105 cm |
| 1994 | ZONDER TITEL | | | hospital linen, parafinne, styrofoam, steel construction, rubber tubing | 170 x 160 x 90 cm |
| 1994 | UNTITLED (ST.JOHN) | | | hospital linen, parafinne, styrofoam, steel construction, different types of rubber tubing | 185 x 170x 90 cm |
| 2017 | Untitled | AkzoNobel Art Collection | | photography | |
| 1988 | ZONDER TITEL | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam | 1988.4.0400 | painting | 26 x 156 x 2 cm |
| 1991 | ZONDER TITEL | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam | 1994.1.0223 | aluminium, rubber tubing, caps | 198 x 102 x 62 cm |
| 1986 | ZONDER TITEL | Museum Boijmans van Beuningen | 3152 a-b (MK) | color photography on aluminium | 155 x 50 x 4 cm |
| 1992 | ZONDER TITEL | Museum Boijmans van Beuningen | BEK 1663 (MK) | wood, rubber, steel, white gesso layer | 120 x 140 x 80 cm |
| 1989 | Anaklasis | Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed and LIMA | | | |
| 1984 | Zonder titel geen geluid | Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed | | | |
| 2016 | The Same Sun | | | | |
| 2016 | Miroir Noir | | | 2 video projections on plexiglas | |
| 2012 | Fences and Pools | | | 2-channel video installation with 3 soundtracks | |
| 2014 | Kitab al Manazir (Book of Optics) | | | 3-channel video installation with 1 soundtrack | 21 minutes |
| 2014 | KaM001 | | | | |
| 2014 | KaM002 | | | | |
| 2014 | KaM003 | | | | |
| 2014 | KaM200 | | | | |
| 2014 | KaM400 | | | | |
| 2014 | KaM1000 | | | | |
| 2007 | Convolution Kernel 4 | | | | |
| 2001 | Om vier uur in de ochtend | | | armature, papier-mâché, video projection | 251 x 198 x 110 cm |
| 2020 | Mercurial Dominion | | | metal construction, disassembled iMac, video | 140 x 276 x 93 cm |
| | I | | | photowork | 122 x 176 cm |
| | Zonder titel | | | photowork | 122 x 192 cm |
| | Unequal Times Measured by One Another | | | | |
| 1987 | Forma Lucis II | | | | |
| | Silicium | | | | |
| | A New World | | | | |
| | Unsusceptible | | | | |
| | Observation | | | | |
| | Herrnchiemsee, für Ludwig | | | | |
| 2018 | Skin | | | | |
| | Binary | | | | |
| | Das Zeigende Zeigen | | | | |
| 2020 | Ardalanish/Binary | | | | |
| | Unequal Times Measured by One Another 2 | | | | |
| | assemble | | | | |
| | 1870 | | | | |

## Exhibitions
### Solo exhibitions

Non-exhaustive list of solo exhibitions: :
| Year | Title | Venue | City |
| 1982 | Experiments with smells ‘Greenish’ | Stadsschouwburg | Maastricht |
| 1988 | Forma Lucis V | Gemeentemuseum | Arnhem |
| 1988 | Forma Lucis V | Galerie Van Gelder | Amsterdam |
| 1994 | Tumbled Over Rim | Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | Rotterdam |
| 1989 | | Galerie STAMPA | Basel |
| 1989 | | Haags Centrum voor Actuele Kunst | Den Haag |
| 1991 | Sculptures | Kunstvereniging Diepenheim | Diepenheim |
| 1998 | Roos Theuws | Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam | Amsterdam |
| 2006 | Hazard Rate | Galerie RAM | Rotterdam |
| 2008 | | Videolounge | Rotterdam |
| 2009 | Gaudeamus Muziekweek (in cooperation with VocaalLAB Nederland) | Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ | Amsterdam |
| 2009 | Cooperation with Jaqueline de Lucanet (Le merle Noir, Messiaen) | Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ | Amsterdam |
| 2009 | Art Amsterdam | RAI | Amsterdam |
| 2014 | Roos Theuws | Slewe Gallery | Amsterdam |
| 2017 | DUALs | Slewe Gallery | Amsterdam |

### Group exhibitions

Non-exhaustive list of group exhibitions: :
| Year | Title | Venue | City |
| 1983 | Time Based Arts | | Amsterdam |
| 1984 | Festival International du Nouveau Cinema et de la Video | | Montreal, Amsterdam, Zurich, Geneva |
| 1984 | Festival International de l'Art Video | | Locarnp |
| 1985 | As far as Amsterdam goes.... | Stedelijk Museum | Amsterdam |
| 1985 | Image on the Run (on tour) | The Kitchen | New York |
| 1986 | Videowochen im Wenkenpark | Videogenossenschaft Basel | Basel |
| 1987 | Contour | Museum Het Prinsenhof | Delft |
| 1987 | Forma Lucis III | Bonnefantenmuseum | Maastricht |
| 1987 | Forma Lucis IV | Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | Rotterdam |
| 1989 | Vision and Revision | Danforth Museum | Boston |
| 1989 | Video-Skulptur: retrospektiv und aktuell 1963-1989 | Kölnischer Kunstverein & Dumont Kunsthalle | Köln |
| 1989 | 25 Jahre VideoSkulptur | Kongresshalle | Berlin |
| 1990 | Dutch Interiors | Biennale Tokyo | Tokyo |
| 1990 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | KunstRAI | Amsterdam |
| 1990 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Video Art Festival de Locarno | Locarno |
| 1991 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Hara Museum of Contemporary Art | Tokyo |
| 1991 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Dom Kultúry | Bratislava |
| 1991 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Műcsarnok | Budapest |
| 1991 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Palau de la Virreina | Barcelona |
| 1992 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Edifício da Alfândega | Porto |
| 1993 | IMAGO, fin de siècle in Dutch contemporary art | Taipei Fine Arts Museum | Taipei |
| 1991 | Poliset | Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea | Ferrara |
| 1991 | Negen | Witte de With | Rotterdam |
| 1991 | 9 artisti olandesi contemporanei | Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci | Prato |
| 1991 | 10 junge Künstler aus den Niederlanden | Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen | Düsseldorf |
| 1992 | Negen | Provinciaal Museum | Hasselt |
| 1993 | Right of Speech | Noordbrabants Museum | Den Bosch |
| 1995 | Triennale Kleinplastik 1995: Europa - Ostasien. | SüdwestLB Forum | Stuttgart |
| 1996 | De Muze als Motor | De Pont Museum | Tilburg |
| 1999 | Glad IJs | Stedelijk Museum | Amsterdam |
| 2000 | | Galerie Gmurzynska | Köln |
| 2002 | Collectie Boijmans Van Beuningen | Museum De Lakenhal | Leiden |
| 2002 | Beelden in de Nieuwe Kerk | Stedelijk Museum | Amsterdam |
| 2004 | De 80-jaren | Bonnefantenmuseum | Maastricht |
| 2007 | 2MOVE/ Migratory Aesthetics | Sala Verónicas and Centro Párraga | Murcia |
| 2008 | 2MOVE/ Migratory Aesthetics | Zuiderzeemuseum | Enkhuizen |
| 2008 | 2MOVE/ Migratory Aesthetics | Stenersen Museet | Oslo |
| 2008 | 2MOVE/ Migratory Aesthetics | Solstice Arts Centre | Navan |
| 2008 | 2MOVE/ Migratory Aesthetics | Belfast Exposed | Belfast |
| 2008 | Creatures from the Collection and Other Themes | Huis Marseille | Amsterdam |
| 2008 | Inertia | W139 | Amsterdam |
| 2010 | Digital? Analogue! | Huis Marseille | Amsterdam |
| 2011 | Convolution Kernel 2 | Galerie Paul Andriesse | Amsterdam |
| 2020 | Meanwhile... | Slewe Gallery | Amsterdam |

## Artist books

Greenish (1983), loose leaves, 24 x 20 cm.
Binntal (2021), MunkenPolar paper, Glama paper, 84p, Swiss binding, (ZwaanLenoir) 29,5 x 21 cm.

## List of Literature

Alphen, Ernst van. “Slow Seeing. Grasping the Image and the Way We Process It.” Roos Theuws, 2014.
Alphen, Ernst van. “Traag kijken: beeldontleding door Roos Theuws.” De Witte Raaf, juli-augustus 2014.
Bal, Mieke. "Activating Temporalities: The Political Power of Artistic Time" Open Cultural Studies 2, no. 1 (2018): 84–102. https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2018-0009
Bal, Mieke. “Roos Theuws.” Art in America, September 25, 2014. ARTnews.com.
Coelho, Nio, Possel, Rodrigo, Velthoven (1990). IMAGO, fin de siècle Dutch contemporary art. Amsterdam: Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst/Stichting Mediamatic Foundation.
Fuchs, Rudi. “Stille aandacht.” De Groene Amsterdammer, September 14, 2016.
Massiac, Alix de. “40 Jaar Metropolis M – In gesprek met Roos Theuws.” Metropolis M, October 16, 2019. www.metropolism.com