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Abstand
Artist Antonis Pittas (1973)
Title abstand
Year 2018
Material Aluminium, white paint, retro reflective foil
About the work This artwork is made up of 3D letters covered in a yellow retro reflective film. We are familiar with this material from roadside signs indicating roadworks or from the hi-vis, yellow jacket protests in France in 2018. By bringing this retro reflective film from the outside in, visual artist Antonis Pittas connects the outside world with the inside world, and activism with conceptual art. At the same time, the title of this work – the German word for distance - is a reminder that, again, the distance between these concepts is not so easily bridged.
About the artist Antonis Pittas explores how to make social and political tensions in society visible. Using multimedia installations with graphic and textual elements, he creates thought-provoking situations. These situations invite nuanced reflection on themes such as economic and environmental crises, the relationship between the present and the past, and the role of art. Pittas studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (graduated in 1999), the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam (in 2002) and the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam (in 2003). In subsequent years, he exhibited in the Netherlands and abroad and taught at several Dutch art academies. He has lived in New York since 2024.
In the collection Acquired in 2018. The work is in line with De Nederlandsche Bank’s current art strategy to provide space for dialogue on tensions and developments in society. Moreover, it shows how art can help expose the complexity inherent to such social dynamics.
