‘Meredith Monk is a first-generation pioneer of interdisciplinary art,’ says Beatrix Ruf, director of Hartwig Art Foundation, which co-presents her new exhibition, ‘Meredith Monk: Calling’, alongside Oude Kerk Amsterdam. ‘From the very beginning, she brought together her self-developed unique voice technique – which merges the qualities of sound and movement, and connects ancient and traditional and especially spiritual singing techniques – with a unique way of using the performance space as a multi-sensual place of experiences.’
Monk’s unique talent is currently being celebrated in the exquisite setting of Oude Kerk, Amsterdam’s oldest building. The exhibition comprises a series of concerts, operas, installations and a deep-dive into Monk’s eclectic oeuvre. ‘She is intertwining movement, film, video, with an always-specific spatial design – and therefore lets the [various] media play in a new way together. Her work always also delves deeply into the human experience, connecting all its aspects and forms, from the grotesque to the spiritual. She is immensely influential to generations of artists; think of Björk, Peter Greenaway and many more.’
