Cherish and Destroy: Art and Architecture festival: Arno Coenen

Lectures, Workshops, Panel Discussions, and Exhibition

In the work of artists and architects, the tension between cherishing and destruction is an essential part of the creative design process. Artistic traditions lose their meaning and are deconstructed, buildings are demolished to make way for new forms. At the same time, there is a desire to preserve and cherish certain values. Some things should not be lost because they are connected to qualities and meanings that remain relevant in the present, things that are seen as treasures to be safeguarded.

Three architects and three artists have been invited to share the dilemmas they encounter in their work when faced with the choice between preservation and destruction. How do they navigate these decisions? Do they use a specific frame of reference that guides their design process? The lecture series will conclude with a debate that explores these questions in greater depth. The lectures will be conducted in Dutch.

Arno Coenen

Arno Coenen (1972) is a Dutch visual artist known for his monumental artworks in public spaces. He combines traditional crafts, such as glass mosaics, with contemporary computer graphics. Coenen graduated from Academie Minerva in Groningen in 1997 and earned an MFA in computer graphics at Media-GN in 1998.
His work is often inspired by subcultures, youth culture, and popular culture, with a preference for explosive phenomena such as hooliganism, heavy metal, and martial arts culture. One of his most famous works is Hoorn des Overvloeds (2014), a digital image of 11,000 m² on the interior facade of the Markthal in Rotterdam, which received international media attention.
In 2016, he collaborated with Iris Roskam on Amsterdam Oersoep, a 450 m² glass mosaic in the Beurspassage in Amsterdam, as a tribute to the city's canals. Coenen frequently works with others and often involves local residents and stakeholders in his projects, which contributes to the appreciation of his work. His art is praised for its simplicity and energy, with strong communicative power that appeals to both the general public and art professionals.
He is currently working on a major international commission in Taipei, creating a porcelain sculpture in the form of various food items.