Vice Versa was initiated  in 2006 by Tanja Isbarn.

Vice Versa understands itself as a motor for projects organized between artists based in and around  Groningen/NL and colleagues worldwide. An important characteristic of Vice Versa is to show work immanent correlations by accentuating facts such as difference as well as synonymous thematic  work processes of artists from different countries. To link art languages in shifting cultural contexts makes it possible to relate different  idealistic systems. Leaving the personal ‘comfort zone’  wakes up and stimulates reflection. Ideally one Vice Versa project accumulates a future one, held at the location of working/living base of  one of the former participating artists.

Vice Versa sees an urgent necessity for a building up of a real =non virtual network among artists of various disciplines and cultural organizations from all over the world in order for all participants to stay as independent in their work ethic as possible.

Vice Versa 1 took place in 2009 in Groningen and Bristol/UK. This exchange project  between 11 artists from both countries also included  seminars and lectures given at the academy and university of Groningen and Bristol/UK   and was funded by the Arts Council England and the Kunstraad Groningen.

Vice Versa 2,  matter in transit,  is  an international exhibition project held at the artist initiative  Kunstruimte 09, Groningen.

The internationally operating art space kunstruimte 09 is concerned about experiment and research in fundamental contemporary conceptual art. The non hierarchical structure of the initiative reflects in their openness towards dialog and discussion between participants, initiators and public  and stands in line with the main motivation of  the Vice Versa project.

The fundamental idea for matter in transit results from a work visit at SOIL gallery, Seattle/USA in 2010 by three artists from Groningen. Ilona Hakvoort, Matthijs Hendriks and Tanja Isbarn were invited to exhibit their work at the gallery while living at some of the initiative member’s houses. An ongoing exchange developed between Margie Livingston, Philip Miner from SOIL and Tanja Isbarn.

The ‘the taut hütte or nest 2′ is a room project in progress , located in Berlin in the ‘Onkel Toms Hütte’ suburban colony designed by Bruno Taut ( Werkbund begin 20th century).

The  apartment is in constant  flux.

A room specific work in the kitchen by tanja isbarn, ‘hüttenwand’ as part of walls projects,  is currently in process.

This space is a place to live as well as a destination for small joint projects between artists and/or architects and residencies.

From 15 – 22 march 2012 artist Sophie Schmidt will be working in ‘nest 2′, preparing and finishing off objects which will be part of the international group exhibition ‘matter in transit’ at kunstruimte 09/the netherlands.

Further information and impressions will be given and documented on a regular basis on this page.

EGO COOP is a cooperative site-specific installation by Ilona Hakvoort en Tanja Isbarn. The room, portiersloge/groningen, can not be visited from inside the space. the work can only be perceived from the outside, through a window (see images of visitors looking through ‘verfkijkers’. Verfkijker is an officially non existing word made up by the daughter of Hakvoort as a child (verf=colour). The sound of this word concept approximates the Dutch word verrekijker meaning binoculars.

The installation contains of a walldrawing expanding over three walls,  coloured resin objects (Tanja Isbarn) and two mirrors on the floor  orchestrating with a swarm of coloured resins  (Ilona Hakvoort) on two walls.

While making red marks on the wall Isbarn worked with her back towards the window. Passangers could observe her without being recognized by the artist. Vice versa Isbarn witnessed some moments of ‘hide-and-seek’ when people, mostly women on the street, used the window as a mirroring surface checking their make-up and general outer appearance without realizing that someone was standing on a ladder inside the space watching them.

This collaborative work tries to tackle subject matters such as perception of space, focussing on personal (dis)comfort.  Fantasies of landscape and definition of  masses expanding this particular experience by two artists.