Expositie ‘Let the great world spin’

Helmet on and go, get away from it all for a while to recharge and experience the healing power of travel to look at things again with fresh eyes.

The title of the work, “Let the great world spin” or in French “Que le vaste monde pousuive sa course folle” reflects sculptor Niels van Bunningen’s message about the importance of escaping everyday reality and gaining a renewed perspective on the world. The work highlights both escapism and ostrich politics, as well as the value of new points of view, with a nod to his love of motorsport.

Niels van Bunningen (Besancon, 1988) is a sculptor who was attracted to the DIY mentality of punk culture from a young age. He immersed himself in the phenomenon of ideologies that have passed their sell-by date but are still firmly held on to. In his work, he tries to address this issue and make people aware of the negative effects of clinging to old ideologies. With his work “Let the great world spin”, in which a head in a motorbike helmet seems to reflect the world around it, he invites viewers to rethink their attitude towards the world and how to change it. Look with a different mask, if only for a moment. Art is his language, steel his material. By striking and bending, pulling and pushing, heating and turning, he manipulates the unruly material until it has the desired shape and expression and we experience the image rather than seeing the material, as a world of his own, with nature as his muse. Van Bunningen obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from ArteZ in Arnhem, the city where he lives and works.