Job Koelewijn’s Sanctuary, a 46 foot gas station composed of 3,000+ art books

An exhibition celebrating the Quadricentennial of the Dutch discovery and settlement of the Hudson River and its environs, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA), in Peekskill, New York, will showcase contemporary Dutch installation art, opening on September 13, 2009 until July 26, 2010.

Sixteen artists will be shown in a space of 11,000 sf with 24 foot high ceilings. The exhibition will extend to the Hudson River waterfront where several major, site specific works will be shown. The selection involves artists with great promise - most have never exhibited in the US.

The extraordinary works in the exhibition have a Dutch ‘soul’ which echoes the influence of Dutch architecture, sculpture, furniture and its unique landscape. These are some of the best younger installation artists, who have grown up in The Netherlands and/or who have spent many formative art years there, and are exhibited together in a dynamic and yet coherent format. What will be discovered is a discernable and distinctive link between the works of this extraordinary group of artists.

Much of the work has been created specifically for this exhibition, including work by three artists who came to Peekskill for the HVCCA artist-in-residence program. This program provides artists with the opportunity to create long-term installations, as well as the opportunity to interact through panel discussions & dialogues with the community. To date the program has been limited to artists who have never before exhibited in a US institution.