Ida Kleiterp  27 June until 30 November 2008

Sculpture Route

In this sculpture route, featuring works by the Amsterdam sculptor Ida Kleiterp, one of the highlights is the Mercy Seat. This work is based on the Torah's description of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets that bore the Ten Commandments. The mercy seat that lay on top of the ark is associated with atonement and reconciliation. Alongside Kleiterp's Mercy Seat is an artist's book that she made about her own reconciliation with life, herself and the world. Other sculptures along the route include The Rose of Jericho, The Tower of Babel, and Three Matriarchs, made of bluestone, granite, and marble, respectively. These sculptures illustrate Kleiterp's interest in contrast, in that each variety of stone has been finished differently: one has been polished smooth, while another still shows the marks of the chisel. Kleiterp says: 'In these works I am probing deeply and investigating aspects of my Jewish identity. Questions like: How should I live my life, as a Jewish woman in Amsterdam, in a multicultural city? What are the differences between me and other people? What are the causes of conflict and tension? But also, what is the value of confrontation? I always begin by asking myself a question, and then flesh out that question, or the answer, in greater detail in the form of an object. The final result is there for all to see.'