Dynasty

Work, Value, Reality The artist Thomas Raat (born 1979 in Leiderdorp, Netherlands; lives and works in Amsterdam) explores how certain materials, practices, and imaging strategies are assigned value. In paintings, sculptures, and design-related practices, the Dutch artist examines, with an archaeological perspective, how visual grammars can be rewritten and manipulated over time. Skeptical of the possibility of creating an entirely new artwork, Raat draws on classical modernism. His works raise questions about the interpretation of an artwork: What motivations do artists have for creating a piece, and how does the audience receive it? It is within this tension that a work is created, meaning is inscribed upon it, it gains fame, yet its significance can shift or even be completely negated. The monograph Dynasty includes a selection of Raat's works from the past ten years. The essays were written by Hans Den Hartog Jager, Nick Hackworth, and Robert van Altena.