Eric van Hove: The Craft of Art

In collaboration with the Studio Art Department and Dartmouth’s Artist-in-Residence Program, the Hood Museum of Art presents recent works by visiting Belgian artist Eric van Hove. Born in Guelma, Algeria, van Hove was raised in Yaoundé, Cameroon. In 2011, he moved to Marrakesh, Morocco, where he created his breakout V12 Laraki, an exact replica of the Mercedes-Benz engine of the same name, recently acquired by the museum. Produced in collaboration with about fifty-five local craftsmen, the sculpture showcases van Hove’s ingenuity and the brilliance of Maghreb craftsmanship. In addition to the majestic V12 Laraki, the exhibition includes an exploded V12 engine gearbox, and five smaller parts, all meticulously handcrafted using different techniques and with materials sourced from around Morocco. The museum present a public discussion between Eric van Hove and Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, Curator of African Art at the Hood Museum of Art, titled “Contemporary Artistic Practice and Nomadism,” on Thursday, April 28, at 5:00 P.M. in the Hood Auditorium, followed by a reception in the lower lobby of the Hanover Inn. This exhibition was generously supported by the Artist-in-Residence Program’s Nathan W. Pearson ‘32 and Sons Fund. Additional support was provided by the Hood Museum of Art’s William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Hall Fund. Curated by Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, Curator of African Art / Gerald Auten, Director of Exhibitions, Senior Lecturer in Studio Art . Eric van Hove was born in Guelma, Algeria. His early childhood in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon in central Africa, left a lasting impression and a love for the continent of Africa. In 2001, van Hove earned a B.A. from École de Recherche Graphique, Brussels. This was followed by master’s and doctoral degrees in classical Japanese calligraphy from the Tokyo Gakudei University, Tokyo, in 2005 and 2008, respectively. He currently moves between Brussels and Marrakech, Morocco, where he has his art studio. Van Hove has developed a cosmopolitan consciousness that shapes his artistic practice. He works in multiple genres and with a range of media, including installation, performance, writing, photography, video, and sculpture. His creative interventions reflect a nomadic willingness to address local contexts but with frames of reference that manifest universal truths. . https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu