Ansuya Blom
Born in 1956, Groningen
lives and works in Amsterdam
Ansuya Blom has been working as an artist since 1978. Her drawings and films focus on the relation and friction between the marginalised individual and the external world. As a result of this friction, misunderstandings, misconceptions and confusions arise.
‘The first person singular’ is used as a way of looking at this dichotomy. Her interest lies in moments that arise as a result of a disjointed experience of the world. She aims to ‘catch’ these moments, to think them through and to lay bare the strategies that the marginalised individual adopts in order to deal with these disconnections.
Text and words often play a role in Ansuya Blom’s work. The biographies of various individuals inform many of her drawings and films. In her films the world is seen through the protagonist’s eyes and heard through their inner voice. The potential of an implied narrative, of a development in time, plays an important part in her films. What fascinates her is both meaning which comes from syntax as well as meaning which has been lost or altered, arising from a disjointed sentence structure.Her drawings are based on texts, such as the letters of Ellen West, Native American Poetry and the writings of Søren Kierkegaard.
Solo exhibitions of Ansuya Blom’s work have been held at Camden Arts Centre in London; The Douglas Hyde Gallery in Dublin and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Her work was part of the Aperto 90 La Biennale di Venezia. Her films have been screened at The International Film Festival Rotterdam, Rencontres Internationales Paris-Berlin, IDFA and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her work is part of various private and public collections such as the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam, Tate Modern London. Ansuya Blom is a regular advisor at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam and has been a guest advisor at various art institutions, amongst others the Slade School of Fine Art in London; ACC in South Korea; the Nola Hatterman Institute Surinam and Gudskul, Indonesia. She is also an associate member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research in London.In 2020 she was awarded the Dr. A.H. Heineken Price for Art.
MA Psychoanalysis, Middlesex University, London, UK
PS 1, New York
Ateliers ‘ 63, Haarlem
Koninklijke Akademie, The Hague
Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize for Art
Koninklijke Subsidie voor de schilderkunst/ Royal Subsidy for Painting
Ansuya Blom: Solo, Centraal Museum at Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd, Bunnik
Film screening at Eye on Art, Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam
Solo exhibition, HIDDE VAN SEGGELEN, Hamburg, Germany
Screening of Dear…, as part of the solo exhibition Being Moved Things Around. Derral at Hillside by Stephan Blumenschein, Beautiful Distress House, Amsterdam
Stedelijk x IDFA: Video Club with Ansuya Blom, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Ansuya Blom, Club Solo, Breda – cat.
Suzanne U., Galerie van Gelder in AP, Amsterdam
Het is of de stenen spreken, (silence is a commons), Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons, Utrecht Lola Magenta, screening at Gudskul, Jakarta
Lady Lazarus, Amazing Grace, Joe Faces, Hither Come Down on Me, Lola Magenta, screening as part of Eye Artist and Scholar-in-Residence programme, Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam
Through Shutters, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
The Fall, Fred Gallery, London, England, cat.
The Fall, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
The Douglas Hyde Gallery, ‘The Paradise project [21]’, Dublin, Ireland
Tintinnabulation, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
House of Invertebrates, AP, Amsterdam
Gallery Bill Maynes, New York
The Centre for Drawing, Wimbledon School of Art, London, cat.
An evening with Ansuya Blom, Cineprobe series, MoMA, New York
Institute of Contemporary Art; an evening of films by Ansuya Blom, Philadelphia
Ansuya Blom, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, cat.
Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin; Camden Arts Centre, Londen; CCA., Glasgow, cat.*
Film in stock, de Unie i.s.m. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, cat.
Associated Publishers, Amsterdam
Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, cat.
Scanning 1991, Deweer Art Gallery, Otegem, met Keith Brumberg, cat.
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
City Thoughts, Amsterdam
Art & Project, Amsterdam, with Jan Commandeur
A Lasting Truth Is Change, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
PP21 – Collecting Collection. When artists form ideas, Parts Project, The Hague
Trailblazers, Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam
Flux und Reflux – A Selection of Moving Images, online screening program from Portikus, Frankfurt am Main
A Very Special Place: Ikon in the 1990s, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
Video Club: Environmental Body (of Work), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
THE COLLECTION. STEDELIJK BASE 2, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Patricia Pisters presents films by Ansuya Blom, De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam
Ysabel’s Table Dance, screening at Granate x Kriterion | Film & Poetry, Granate Film Festival, Kriterion, Amsterdam
Ysabel’s Table Dance, screening at (Hand)made in Holland: Women Make Films, Swedish Film Institute, Stockholm
Opening exhibition at Hidde van Seggelen, Hamburg
Ysabel’s Table Dance, screening at Eye on Art, Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam
Salon Hang, Kunstverein, Amsterdam
Lola Magenta, as part of the screening program Madness and Civilization / Psychiatrie-Zyklus: Kurz- und Experimentalfilmblock, Kino in der Reitschule, Bern
Lola Magenta, screening Paradocs: Amsterdam Art Weekend x IDFA: In Your Head, Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam
De Line Up: De Kracht van tekenen, Centraal Museum, Utrecht
De Zindering van de Zee. Een eerbetoon aan Bas Jan Ader, De Mesdag Collectie, The Hague (curated by Joanna De Vos)
Thuis in het Chabot Museum. De collectie van Armando, Huis Schuylenburch (Residency of the German ambassador), The Hague
Animalism, Galerie Bernd Kugler, Innsbruck
Wedges, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Salon Hang, Kunstverein, Amsterdam
A Call for Drawing, BAK, Utrecht
De Keuze van Lucassen, Nouvelles Images, The Hague, Netherlands
AD XL, Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam
Donkere Kamers, Museum Dr Ghislain, Gent, Belgium
International Filmfestival Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
AAA Festival, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
This and That and That, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Dokument Art, Berlin, Germany
To make a show it takes a thought…, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
30 days of Piece Love and Painting, Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France Amsterdam Drawing, Amsterdam
Porta Nigra, Hidde van Seggelen Gallery, London, England, curator Mark Kremer
All About Drawing. 100 Nederlandse Kunstenaars, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, Netherlands, cat.
In Between, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Hedendaags Klassiek, Allard Pierson Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
A for Artists, E for Exhibitions, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, brochure
Remember Me – about death and memory, MMKA / Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem, Netherlands
Rencontres Internationales, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany
Rencontres Internationales / Hither come down to me, Reina Sofía National Museum, Madrid, Spain
Prospects and Interiors; sculptor’s drawings, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, England, curator Sophie Raikes
Artissima 15, Turin, Italy, with Marijke van Warmerdam, Nicolas Chardon, Klaas Kloosterboer, Jaap Kroneman and Voebe de Gruyter
De Keuze van Lucassen, Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag
Kunst uit huis III, Armando verzamelt en tekent, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam
Int. Filmfestival of Science and Technology, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington DC and Museum of Contemporary Art, Orlando, U.S.A.
Kosmopolis 06, CCCB/Centre de Cultura Contemporànea de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
MuHKA Media, as part of The Projection Project, Films by Ansuya Blom, The curators choice: Mark Kremer, Antwerp, Belgium
34th International Filmfestival Rotterdam, Rotterdam, cat.
Green Filmfestival, Seoul, South Korea
Cross Art, Kunsthalle Bonn, Germany, curator Jean-Christophe Ammann
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, Jeu de Paumes/Centre Culturel Suedois/Ecole Superieure Des Beauxs Arts/Cinema Entrepôt, Paris
mm2, Cinema De Balie, Amsterdam, cat.
Duo Track, Vlaams-Nederlands Huis, Argos Arts, Brussels, cat.
The Independant Cinema ‘La Enana Marrón, Madrid, Spain
The Independant Film Festival of Barcelona ‘La Alternativa’, Barcelona, Spain
Nightwood, Rhodes and Mann, London
Tot nu toe, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
The Seven Year Itch, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
The Portable Museum/ Niek Kemps, CBK, Dordrecht
Flash, Listasafn, Reykjavíkur Hafnarhús, Reykjavik, Iceland
Lijn=Vorm=Inhoud. Werken op papier, Stadsgalerij Heerlen, Heerlen, curator Patricia van der Lugt, cat.
On the waterfront. Keuze uit de Collectie Nederlandse hedendaagse kunst of Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam
Transformer, Porin Taidemuseo, Finland, cat.
Höhere Wesen befahlen: anders malen!, Smart Projects, Amsterdam, curator Mark Kremer, cat.
Flash, CCA, Vilnius; Transmediale International Arts Festival, Berlin;
Living Art Museum,Reykjavik
CBK Marres, Maastricht
Videoex., Zürich;
Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
BALTIC Center, Gateshead
Chinese European Art Center, Xiamen, China
Flash, World Wide Video Festival, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
00, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Lie of the Land. earth. body. material, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton
Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, cat.*
27th International Filmfestival, Rotterdam
Lines of Desire, Bluecoat Art Gallery, Liverpool
Oldham Art Gallery, Oldham;
Wrexham Art Centre, Wales
Losse werken, rake klappen, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
De Bruiloftsreportage, Centraal Museum, Utrecht
One Line Drawings, Ubu Gallery, New York
De Verzameling, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
25th International Filmfestival, Rotterdam
20 jaar verzamelen, Bouwfonds Kunstcollectie, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
16e Nederlands Film Festival, Utrecht
Het oog als lasapparaat. Collages, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam
VPRO televisie, uitzending ‘Joe Faces’
Galerie Mot & Van den Boogaard, Brussel
Kine(kunst) ’95, Internationaal Festival van de Kunstfilm, Knokke
Introspace, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, cat.
Ik vind uw werk heel interessant, Wetering Galerie, Amsterdam
Samenvatting, Nederlandse tekenkunst na 1900, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Tekeningen & tekeningen, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
22nd International Filmfestival, Rotterdam, cat.
Het Materiaal, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Edities & unica, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Avant-garde films uit Nederland, Cinematheek, Brussel, keuze Nelly Voorhuis
The Return of the Cadavre Exquis, The Drawing Center, New York
Van Vlees en Bloed, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, cat.
The last Rose of Summer, Galerie Wanda Reiff, Amsterdam
Art for ASAP, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
Künstlerfilms Amsterdam-Frankfurt, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basel, cat.
Six logos around the carpet, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
They see the light, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Wij zijn 16, W139, Amsterdam
The eye & the ear, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Nederlandse Filmdagen, Utrecht
Kunstkanaal, uitzending ‘Ysabel’s Table Dance’ & ‘Amazing Grace’
19th International Filmfestival, Rotterdam, cat.
Vele parels voor een lijn, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam
Amsterdam Art-Regards: dessins contemporains, Institut Néerlandais, Paris, cat.
30 Anni de Disegni, Instituto Universitario Olandese di Storia dell’Arte, Florence
De Amro Bank Collectie. Een keuze, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
Koninklijke Subsidie voor de Vrije Schilderkunst 1980-1987, Koninklijk Paleis, Amsterdam
17th International Filmfestival, Rotterdam
Prima Idea, Stichting Archipel, Apeldoorn; Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft, cat.
International Filmfestival, New York
International Filmfestival, Toronto
A priori Tekenen, Stichting Makkom, Amsterdam, cat.
Six Plasticiens Contemporains des Pays-Bas, Musée d’Art Moderne, Villeneuve d’Ascq, cat.
Innovation und Tradition, Niederländische Kunst der Achtziger Jahre/ Vernieuwing en traditie, Nederlandse kunst van de jaren tachtig, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe; Städtische Galerie, Erlangen; Ernst Muzéum, Budapest; Centraal Museum, Utrecht, cat.*
Wat Amsterdam betreft, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
The Dutch contribution to the 1985 São Paulo Biennale, 18a Bienal de Sâo Paulo
Décor-ontwerp voor performance Mark Glynne, De Fabriek, Eindhoven
Vindsulor. Malerei, Skulptur och Video i Holland, Kunsthalle, Göteborg, cat.
Amsterdam-Reykjavik, ter weerszijden van de meridiaan, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik; Museum Fodor, Amsterdam
Amsterdam 1983 in Berlijn, Berlijn 1983 in Amsterdam, Kunstamt Kreuzberg, Berlin, cat.
Gemeentelijke Kunstaankopen 1981-1982, Museum Fodor, Amsterdam
Amsterdam 60-80, twintig jaar beeldende kunst, Museum Fodor, Amsterdam
Junge Kunst aus der Niederlanden/Young Art from the Netherlands, Form und/and Expression (Art 13’82), Sonderschau Kunstmesse, Basel;
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag
Art & Project, Amsterdam
Koninklijke subsidie voor de Vrije Schilderkunst 1981, Koninklijk Paleis, Amsterdam
Junge Kunst aus der Niederlanden, Landesmuseum, Graz; Galerija suvremente umjetnosti, Zagreb, cat.
PS1, New York
Ateliers ’63. Een keuze uit het werk van deelnemers 1975-1980, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht;
Aspecten van de Nederlandse schilderkunst. Een keuze uit de collectie van het Stedelijk Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
Zeichnung Heute, 1. Internationale Jugendtriennale & Meister der Zeichnung, Kunsthalle, Nuremberg, cat.
Atelier 15, 10 jonge kunstenaars, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.
Ansuya Blom. [exh. cat.] Breda: Club Solo, 2021
All About Drawing. 100 Nederlandse Kunstenaars, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, cat.
Touch on a hard surface, Fred London Ltd, London, cat.’
Transformer, Pori Art Museum, Pori, Finland, cat.
Lijn = Vorm = Inhoud. Werken op papier, Stadsgalerij Heerlen, Heerlen, curator Patricia van der Lugt, cat.
The Centre for Drawing: The First Year, Vong Phaophanit, Ansuya Blom, Alexander Roob, Wimbledon School of Art, London, cat.
Höhere Wesen befahlen: anders malen!, Smart Papers, Smart Project Space, Amsterdam, curator Mark Kremer, cat.
Lie of the land. earth, body, material, John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton, Southampton, cat.
Ansuya Blom, Let me see if this be real, NAI publishers, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, cat.’
Ansuya Blom, Sala Montcada de la Fundació ‘la Caixa’, Barcelona, cat.’
Ansuya Blom, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, cat.’
… dass dieser Mensch …, The Bifrons Publisher/Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, cat.’
Scanning 1991, Deweer Art Gallery, Otegem, Belgium
Ansuya Blom, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, cat.’
Lola Magenta, 11 min, 9 sec, colour, sound
Spell, 6 min. b/w
Portrait, 8.21 min. b/w
Hither come down on me, ca. 12 min. bl/w, sound
Nervous, DVD, 9.30 min. black and white, sound
Chapter Three, DVD, 7 min., colour, sound
See eye, DVD with composer Paul Termos, colour, sound, prod. Bifrons Foundation, Amsterdam
Dear… , 16 mm., 48 min., colour, sound
Joe Faces, 16 mm., 10 min., colour, sound
Regards de la Vierge, 16 mm., 18 min., colour, sound
Amazing Grace, 16 mm., 14 min., colour, sound
Ysabel’s Table Dance, 16 mm., 6 min., colour, sound
Borderline, 16 mm., 2 min., colour, sound
Lady Lazarus, 16 mm., 2 min., colour, sound
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Museum Gouda; Stedelijk Museum Schiedam; Museum het Valkhof, Nijmegen; Museum Arnhem; Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam; The Centre for Drawing, London; Tate Modern, London; various corporate collections, among which: the ING Collection, ABN AMRO Art Collection, Aegon Art Collection, PostNL Art Collection; and various private collections in Netherlands and abroad.
Ansuya Blom’s most recent film Misty Man is part of the programming of the International documentary festival IDFA in Amsterdam.
Centraal Museum Utrecht presents a solo exhibition by Ansuya Blom at Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd, on view from 23 March 2023.
IDFA and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam present Video Club with Ansuya Blom, with a screening of Blom’s films on 20 November 2022.