War as Ever!

War as Ever! is an innovative exhibition project by the visual artists Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen, structured around the 17th century Van Kittensteyn album about the Eighty Years' War. The artists are interested in the relation between acts of war, looking and beauty. In War as Ever!  they draw out the connections between the historical prints from the album, contemporary war photography and photos from the collection of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. War as Ever! includes an exhibition, a symposium, pop-up performances in Rotterdam, and a blog by the ‘historic’ Print Pedlar.

The Van Kittensteyn album
The point of departure for the project War as Ever! is the Van Kittensteyn album, a unique collection of more than 500 prints and drawings from 1613, having the Eighty Years' War as their subject. This album, in the possession of the Atlas Van Stolk (Rotterdam Museum), was assembled by the Delft collector Willem Luytsz van Kittensteyn, and gives a bloody report of the long series of battles, sieges, executions and acts of pillage that characterized the Dutch War of Independence against Spanish domination. It is probably the oldest still extant album with historical prints in The Netherlands. For Mackenna and Janssen it is the starting point for an exploration of historical and contemporary images of war.

Acts of war, looking and beauty
Mackenna and Janssen are interested in the problematic relation between art, looking and suffering. In War as Ever! they investigate the relation between the Van Kittensteyn album and the role of contemporary media in showing war and violence. Production, presentation, research, discussion and education come together in a multimedia exhibition, a symposium and public appearances by the Print Pedlar, a specially developed character who is based on historic street hawkers.

War as ever!
The exhibition War as ever! and consists of the projection WAR AS EVER! Eighty Years and One Day, in which images from the Van Kittensteyn album and details from newspapers bought on the birthday of the artists' daughter are combined and transformed into eighteen videos. The text posters in the exhibition, designed by the artists, are a series of citations from Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others. Among the black and white photographs shown, which collectively provide a visual context for both the video installation and the citations, are images from the collection of the Nederlands Fotomuseum.

Print Pedlar’s blog
During the period of the exhibition the Print Pedlar, a specially developed character based on historic street hawkers, will surface at various events in Rotterdam. With photographs and posters the Print Pedlar will enter into dialogue with the public about looking at human suffering, war and violence. You can also follow the Print Pedlar’s blog: http://www.mackenna-and-janssen.net/

Tracy Mackenna is Personal Chair of Contemporary Art Practice at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, in Scotland. She investigates the creative writing process and the role of conversation in art; one of the specific areas she examines is the significance of private archives in the transmission of history.

Edwin Janssen is Lecturer at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, in Scotland. He is occupied with museum culture, the practice of exhibition making, institutional critique and visual interpretation.



Nederlands Fotomuseum would like to thank Ministry of Education | Gemeente Rotterdam | BankGiro Loterij | Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds | Mondriaan Fonds | ABN AMRO | Loyens Loeff | OVG | Port of Rotterdam