Public Research Residency III
Sophie Rowley
11 August – 7 September 2024

Looiersgracht 60 is pleased to announce the third edition of the Public Research Residency for Summer 2024. Initiated in 2022, the program supports research-based artists and cultural practitioners with resources and presentation opportunities, allowing their work to become more fluid, accessible, and legible to the public. The residency offers dynamic and supportive conversations, visits, and collaborations, enhancing both the artist’s and the public’s experience.

This August, Looiersgracht 60 welcomes German-New Zealand artist Sophie Rowley for a four-week residency. During this period, the gallery will serve as a dynamic space for the development and public presentation of Rowley’s ongoing work, “Repetition is a Form of Change.” Rowley’s artistic practice centres on repetitive gestures and is the focal point of this project. Unfolding over the past two years, her work is inspired by her departure from a fundamentalist community and the subsequent unravelling of her faith. This personal deconstruction of her past has led the artist to uncover and question the structures that shape our internal and external words. Throughout her residency, Rowley will utilise the gallery’s former factory floor as her canvas to create a site-specific installation, alongside new works that dissect the histories of female labour and domesticity.

Having always prioritised the creative process behind each finished artwork, the Public Research Residency offers artists the chance to share their journey with the broader public before their work is finalised. This initiative allows the public to engage in meaningful conversations with the resident as their project unfolds. In line with this philosophy, the gallery will open to the public twice to showcase the development of Rowley’s project. These one-day ‘open studio’ format offers visitors an in-depth look at her working process and the central themes of her work. To culminate her period in residency, Sophie Rowley will unveil her completed works in her first major solo show at Looiersgracht 60. The exhibition, titled “Repetition is a Form of Change,” will open on September 18 and continue until October 20, 2024.

During her stay, Sophie Rowley will host two events to share her working process with the public. Guests are warmly invited to attend and engage with the artist’s work.

Public Events

Public Research Residency III - Event I - Artist Talk with Amelia Groom
Date: September 4, 2024
Engage in the conversation between artist Sophie Rowley and curator/writer Amelia Groom, as they delve into Rowley’s creative process and share insights with the public.
More info here.

Public Research Residency III - Event II - Sculpture in Progress
Date: September 8, 2024
During her residency, Sophie will create a site-specific sculpture in dialogue with its surroundings, sharing her process, materials, and techniques. Join this unique opportunity to witness the centrepiece of the show being made and even participate in its creation.
More info here.

Please send an email to info@looiersgracht60.org if you would like to receive updates about the public programme and forthcoming exhibition.