Anna Arov: The Poetics of Space – cross genre performance evening
Poetry is the birthplace of the modern artist’s book. With its upcoming program, Page Not Found pays tribute to the interplay between visual arts, poetry and publishing by inviting poets and artists to share their work alike. Artist and poet Anna Arov will host a cross-genre performance evening, inquiring how space, code, science fiction, and poetry shape artistic research and practice. She chose artists who have engaged with these topics: Martijn van Boven will talk about using NASA as his artistic co-creator, Margarita Osipian will perform live video inspired by the resonance between poetry and physics. She will read from her chapbook The Last Question, which is a libretto about space travel.
Anna Arov is a Russian/Canadian poet and artist living in Amsterdam. She teaches writing at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Anna is an editor with Amsterdam based literary and art journal Versal and co-curates the cross genre performance series, VERSO at Mezrab in Amsterdam. Her poems have appeared in various literary journals and collections, including Beecher’s Magazine and SpringGun. Anna is the author of The Last Question (Dancing Girl Press, Chicago 2018).
Martijn van Boven (1977) is a visual artist from Amsterdam, with a focus on experimental films and computer generated art. His work is expressed through installations, films, collaborations with composers, and cinema performances. Van Boven has been the head of Interaction Design at the ArteZ Institute since 2012 and teaches Media Archeology.Van Boven received his credentials at the Image and Sound department of the Royal Art Academy in The Hague. He has been focused on abstract filmmaking since 2000, co-founded the Hague’s TAG Media Center in 2003, and in 2005 joined the curatorial team of Sonic Acts, the Netherlands-based festival operating at the intersection of art, music and science. He currently lives and works in Amsterdam.
Margarita Osipian is a Belarusian born, Canadian raised researcher, curator, and cultural organiser living and working in the Netherlands. Margarita works at the intersections of art, design, and technology; organizing collaborative projects both in formal institutions and in more precarious and fleeting spaces. Holding an MA in Media Studies from the University of Amsterdam and an MA in English Literature from the University of Toronto, her research has focused on visual culture, technology, and the carceral state. Margarita is part of The Hmm, a platform for digital culture; a member of the Hackers & Designers collective; and is the art editor for Versal, an art and literature journal based out of Amsterdam. She has done programming and curated exhibitions for the Salwa Foundation, TodaysArt, Bits of Freedom, Hackers & Designer, the W139, and Mediamatic, amongst others.