[catalogue text for PS 10 year anniversary exhibition]

International counterpoint




In musical terms, a counterpoint is either the combination of at least two melodic parts, or the sound textures arising from a combination of them. A more universal interpretation of the term would be to understand a counterpoint as being a situation where one element is juxtaposed with, or contrasted by another. My use of the term in this text is equally broad, as my aim here is to present PS as a counterpoint also.

With its tall white masonry walls and ambient natural light flooding in from two large south-west facing windows, the independent artist-run initiative known as PS is located on the first floor of the 19th century terrace building at Leidsekade 60, in the suburb of the Jordaan, Amsterdam. Looking through those windows onto the boats moored to the edges of the Singelgracht canal, PS is located just inside the perimeter of the central city.

PS could be understood as an acronym for Project Space, Post Scriptum, Ploeg Straathof or either Public or Private Space. By continuing to present a selection of artist’s work through PS, it’s organisers Jan van der Ploeg and Karin Straathof have over the course of 10 years succeeded in providing an international counterpoint for a specific vein of contemporary art, and in doing so a dynamic platform for the discussion related to it.

Taking this interpretation of a counterpoint further, in it’s tenth year of development, PS cannot just be understood as a gallery project. PS must also be seen as a frame for international dialogue involving cross-generational networks of artists, historians, writers and committed viewers alike. This multi-directional activity goes beyond its walls. PS serves as a model for the presentation of current developments in reductive abstraction from those seen as ‘emerging’, as well as those that have actively engaged with PS over an extended period of time.

Looking at the index of artists that have exhibited at PS, a number of constraints have been put in place. One, by consistently maintaining a program of reductive abstraction, the organisers of PS see the need for a location within Amsterdam for it’s ongoing exhibition. Two, few if any artists that have exhibited at PS are native to The Netherlands. This system of external selection once again suggests that the interests of PS lie in the bringing together of ideas and works from those outside of The Netherlands into it, for the benefit of those that attend. Third, the exhibitions at PS are often scheduled to occur around a visiting artists itinerary, bringing to mind the idea of PS being a port of call or one experience of many which goes towards a representation of a possible network – PS is one facet within an infrastructure of independent projects. 

All of these observations point to the fact that PS serves to present works first and foremost. The agenda behind PS is one of encouraging an experience of, and discussion relating to the small number of exhibitions that are held each and every year. As an artist-run space, it’s own currency is related to that of the works shown within it. Its dates of operation are determined by the presence of its exhibitor(s). The presence of such exhibitor(s) facilitates discussion, thereby delivering the importance that PS holds in it - benefiting those who choose to engage. These are the aspects of independence that PS has enjoyed since its inception, ten years ago.

Unfortunately I am not the one to write an account that spans such a long time. I would be much better off for the experiences if I could. My first exhibition at PS occurred in only June this year, but my knowledge of it started in 2001, whilst I was conducting research into some of the other Australian artists who had exhibited there by this time. Its reputation, promotion and international participation has proven to me that my own geographic dislocation from PS and Europe more widely is not the barrier it once used to be. My own exhibition aside, my involvement with the organisers of PS has meant that I have been able to contribute towards a project that goes beyond regionalist debates.

PS is an exhibition model of a positive kind. It is a site for the viewing of works and their projected ideas. It is a testing ground. It is a space that is shared and programmed generously. Artists and their ideas move through it. Thinking of my exhibition at PS, I remember the generosity of my hosts. I remember meeting artists at the time. I remember immersing myself in the program of the space itself, rather than my own.

PS is a Project Space that continues to grow increasingly wide – geographically, stylistically and chronologically. The space of PS extends beyond its physical location to encompass the ideas behind all of the works shown within it. The space of PS is a shared one and a developmental one. It is an inclusive space that has been designed to transform its participants into being more collaborators than individuals.



Justin Andrews
Tokyo, December 2008