Paul van der Eerden Tussenbeelden

Just as non-Western images can act as mediators, moral guides or repellents of uncontrollable forces, there seems to be a similar relationship in Western religious art in dealing with images of saints as ritual objects for (private) devotion. Contemporary artists' work (and penchant for creating a "pure" image) can also evoke a great emotion or sublime experience that can be equivalent to a spiritual or religious experience. The exhibition "Icon and Image" places contemporary art in a context of African ancestor and European saint images that traditionally play a mediating role in the relationship between humans and a higher form of being. This raises the question of whether contemporary art can play that role as a mediator between the viewer and a form of transcendence or spirituality.  

The exhibition is based on (South Limburg) museum and private collections centered on the contemporary art collection of SCHUNCK and the ethnographic collection of Paul van der Eerden.  
Paul van der Eerden's exhibition "Icon and Image" takes place simultaneously with the presentation of Marc Volger and the collection project in the children's library. These projects are flanked by a substantive public program of lectures i.c.w. the Department of Cultural Studies of Maastricht University, educational workshops for schoolchildren, Sunday tours by Paul van der Eerden, expert meetings i.c.w. fellow institutions including the Limburgs Museum (Venlo), Afrikamuseum (Nijmegen), Museum of Religious Art (Uden) and the Collectors House (Heerlen).