For Art Rotterdam 2025, KANT proposes a solo exhibition, “Memory or Recollection”, with the Dutch artist Hans van der Ham. Born in 1960 in Eindhoven, Hans van der Ham lives and works in Rotterdam. Before attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam, he studied classical piano at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the Utrecht Conservatory.
Hans van der Ham´s studio is the epicentre for distilling artistic and intellectual processes. It is a creative resort, a sanctum where doubt, reflection, and foresight are manifested physically. The mystery of whether the artist creates from memory or recollection adds a layer of intrigue. Remembering implies keeping in memory, which may be effortless or unwilled. Recollecting implies bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered. Recall suggests an effort to get back to mind and often to re-create in speech. Remind suggests jogging one's memory by association or similarity. Although Ham´s works bear titles, Ham says he doesn´t necessarily have a specific reference when explicitly asked what a particular painting means. This does not exclude memory or recollection but indicates a process-orientated practice, where images evolve in the autonomy of free-thinking, and each painting adopts its unique character and source of reference.
