Art Lovers #9 The filmic work of Arianne Olthaar

In her work visual artist Arianne Olthaar (1970) depicts interiors in a very special way. For example, for her short film Interior (fear), she created miniature models of non-existent spaces. For her beautiful photo book The File on D. / Dossier D., she photographed old luxurious state hotels in Eastern Europe. And in Bernina Express, one of her other short films, she uses the window of a train compartment as a frame for the passing landscape.

What makes Olthaar’s work so beautiful is the balance between reality and fiction. At a certain point, as a viewer, you no longer know what is real and what is not. Are we looking at existing places or at a model? Are we in the here and now or in a dream world? Whichever medium Arianne Olthaar chooses, film, photography or 3D animation, she always succeeds in misleading the viewer in a pleasantly alienating way.

Olthaar’s work has been shown internationally at exhibitions and film festivals, including the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, the New York Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Arianne Olthaar lives and works in The Hague.

Art Lovers #9 will take place on Monday, November 11, 2024. You can come by all day long in the greenhouse in the Atrium and see Arianne’s work yourself. And if you’re lucky, you’ll meet the artist.

Photo on top of the page:
The File on D. / Dossier D. ©2023 Arianne Olthaar