Bas Jan Ader
Encyclopedia
Bas Jan Ader was a Dutch
conceptual artist, performance artist, photographer and filmmaker. He lived in Los Angeles
for the last 10 years of his life. Ader's work was in many instances presented as photographs and film of his performances. He also made performative installations, including Please Don't Leave Me (1969). His work began to experience a surge in popularity in the early 1990s.
, The Netherlands, cared for by his mother, as one of the 2 sons of Christian minister Bastiaan Jan Ader and Johanna Adriana Ader-Appels. His father had been executed in 1944 by the German occupying force, after his involvement in the 'underground' resistance movement.
, and later in the United States
during a study abroad
program. Ader graduated from the Otis College of Art and Design
in 1965 with a BFA, and from the Claremont Graduate School in 1967. After graduating, Ader taught at various institutions, including Mount San Antonio College, Immaculate Heart College
, and the University of California, Irvine
.
and Bruce Nauman
. Like many conceptual art
works of the 1970s, his works were recorded in descriptive notes and statements destined to have flexible and repeated incarnations.
Many myths have spread out about Ader's disappearance at sea, leading to speculations about supposedly lost works resurfacing.
, a modified Guppy 13 named "Ocean Wave". The passage was part of an art performance titled "In Search of the Miraculous". Radio contact broke off three weeks into the voyage, and Ader was presumed lost at sea. The boat was found after 10 months, floating partially submerged 150 miles West-Southwest of the coast of Ireland. His body was never found. The boat, after being recovered by the Spanish fishing vessel that found it, was taken to Coruña. The boat was later stolen.
The 2006 documentary film Here is Always Somewhere Else
followed up on Ader's recognition in the contemporary art world. As seen through the eyes of fellow Dutch emigrant filmmaker Rene Daalder
, the film attempts to chronicle the life and work of Bas Jan Ader. Here is Always Somewhere Else
was released on DVD in November 2008 and features a collection of Bas Jan's film and video works.
Additionally, Erika Yeomans' conceptual documentary In Search of Bas Jan's Miraculous (1998, 40 mins., mixed media) on the life and art of Bas Jan continues to screen in various festivals and galleries, most recently as part of Dutch Kultprom Russian Tour of Bas Jan's videos. The project was also featured on This American Life
in 1996. In 2009 2nd Cannons Publications from Los Angeles released "Rarely Seen Bas Jan Ader Film," a flip-book of a supposed lost Ader film.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
conceptual artist, performance artist, photographer and filmmaker. He lived in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for the last 10 years of his life. Ader's work was in many instances presented as photographs and film of his performances. He also made performative installations, including Please Don't Leave Me (1969). His work began to experience a surge in popularity in the early 1990s.
Youth
Bas Jan Ader grew up in WinschotenWinschoten
Winschoten is a former municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands.Population : 18.497; area: 22,24 km2.The origin of the name of Winschoten is not known but it has received nicknames. One of these is Molenstad . It has also been known, in living memory, as Sodom...
, The Netherlands, cared for by his mother, as one of the 2 sons of Christian minister Bastiaan Jan Ader and Johanna Adriana Ader-Appels. His father had been executed in 1944 by the German occupying force, after his involvement in the 'underground' resistance movement.
Education
During adolescence Ader took art classes at the Rietveld Academy in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and later in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during a study abroad
Study abroad
Studying abroad is the act of a student pursuing educational opportunities in a country other than one's own. This can include primary, secondary and post-secondary students...
program. Ader graduated from the Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design is an art and design college in Los Angeles, California.The school's programs, accredited by WASC and National Association of Schools of Art and Design, include four-year BFA degrees in illustration, fine arts, graphic design, architecture, landscape design, interior...
in 1965 with a BFA, and from the Claremont Graduate School in 1967. After graduating, Ader taught at various institutions, including Mount San Antonio College, Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College was a private, Catholic college located in Los Angeles, California.The college was established in 1916 by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ten years after they had founded Immaculate Heart High School on the property....
, and the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
.
Famous works
Ader's most popular work is his 1970 short film piece, I'm too sad to tell you, that consists of the artist crying in front of a camera after a brief title. The interests and concerns in Ader's oeuvre locate him in similar art historical tropes of conceptual and performance artists of the 1970s, such as Chris BurdenChris Burden
Christopher "Chris" Burden is an American artist working in performance, sculpture, and installation art.-Education:Burden studied for his B.A...
and Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman is a contemporary American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance. Nauman lives in Galisteo, New Mexico....
. Like many conceptual art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
works of the 1970s, his works were recorded in descriptive notes and statements destined to have flexible and repeated incarnations.
Many myths have spread out about Ader's disappearance at sea, leading to speculations about supposedly lost works resurfacing.
Death
Ader was lost at sea while attempting a single-handed west-east crossing of the Atlantic in a 13 ft pocket cruiserPocket cruiser
A pocket cruiser, microcruiser, trailer sailer or pocket yacht is a small lightweight sailboat with a cabin, designed for recreational cruising. Pocket cruisers can be readily loaded on a trailer and towed by most passenger automobiles. Both commercially made and designs for home built pocket...
, a modified Guppy 13 named "Ocean Wave". The passage was part of an art performance titled "In Search of the Miraculous". Radio contact broke off three weeks into the voyage, and Ader was presumed lost at sea. The boat was found after 10 months, floating partially submerged 150 miles West-Southwest of the coast of Ireland. His body was never found. The boat, after being recovered by the Spanish fishing vessel that found it, was taken to Coruña. The boat was later stolen.
Revival
Ader's revival began in the hands of artists, notable is Christopher Williams Bouquet for Bas Jan Ader and Christopher D'Arcangelo, 1991, with many later artists finding inspiration in the artist's romantic take on Conceptualism. With a limited body of work, primarily film and video, exhibitions of his work are difficult though two important retrospectives have occurred, one at the Sweeney Art Gallery in Riverside in 1999, curated by Brad Spence with catalogue contributions by Thomas Crow, Jan Tumlir, and Brad Spence, and another organized by Camden Arts Centre, London and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam, in cooperation with Kunsthalle Basel titled Bas Jan Ader – Please don’t leave me, accompanied by a catalogue published in English by Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, edited by Rein Wolfs, with texts by Erik Beenker and Jörg Heiser, amongst others.The 2006 documentary film Here is Always Somewhere Else
Here Is Always Somewhere Else
Here is Always Somewhere Else is a 2008 documentary film directed by Rene Daalder and co-produced and edited by Aaron Ohlmann.The film is about the life and work of Dutch/Californian conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader, who in 1975 disappeared under mysterious circumstances at sea in the smallest boat...
followed up on Ader's recognition in the contemporary art world. As seen through the eyes of fellow Dutch emigrant filmmaker Rene Daalder
Rene Daalder
Rene Daalder is a Dutch writer and director. He lives in Los Angeles...
, the film attempts to chronicle the life and work of Bas Jan Ader. Here is Always Somewhere Else
Here Is Always Somewhere Else
Here is Always Somewhere Else is a 2008 documentary film directed by Rene Daalder and co-produced and edited by Aaron Ohlmann.The film is about the life and work of Dutch/Californian conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader, who in 1975 disappeared under mysterious circumstances at sea in the smallest boat...
was released on DVD in November 2008 and features a collection of Bas Jan's film and video works.
Additionally, Erika Yeomans' conceptual documentary In Search of Bas Jan's Miraculous (1998, 40 mins., mixed media) on the life and art of Bas Jan continues to screen in various festivals and galleries, most recently as part of Dutch Kultprom Russian Tour of Bas Jan's videos. The project was also featured on This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
in 1996. In 2009 2nd Cannons Publications from Los Angeles released "Rarely Seen Bas Jan Ader Film," a flip-book of a supposed lost Ader film.
External links
- Official Bas Jan Ader website
- Here is Always Somewhere Else official website
- I'm too sad to tell you on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Distinguished Alumni page from the Otis College of Art and Design
- The Artist Who Sailed to Oblivion from the Telegraph online.