“We have received 65 suitable submissions. Isn't that the perfect number for an exhibition honoring the university's 65 years?” says Lucas Asselbergs, head of Studium Generale and a member of the lustrum committee.

Students and employees had until April 1st to submit their artwork to the exhibition, which with its name ‘Artistic Heroes Like You’ is in keeping with the heroes theme adopted for this TU/e lustrum. Participants must have produced their work in a private capacity, “i.e. not that lovely drawing you did for a course at uni.”

First steps

Asselbergs may well have hoped for greater student participation – “the employee-student balance is roughly fifty to fifteen” – but is still pleased with the variety submitted. “The artists include a good number of internationals, for example, so there's great geographical breadth.”

The disciplines range from photography, drawing and painting to textiles, collages and a few 3D works. And the quality? “It varies from the impressive and artistic to some really promising first steps on the artistic path. Some of those taking part only took up painting during corona, and are already producing very surprising works.”

Among the participants who have earned their artistic stripes is Loe Feijs, emeritus professor at Industrial Design, who produces mathematically generated works. In 2013 Feijs won the 'Mondrian programming contest'.

Square meters

The exhibition's floor plan and design are now being given careful thought. After all, they involve more than “allocating everyone a square meter,” explains Asselbergs. “We want the exhibition to be a total experience, somewhere it is enjoyable to walk through. In practice this means that we'll exhibit something by everyone, but not in equal quantity. We are keen to find the optimum form of reproduction, so we might even take a photo submitted on A4 and blow it up to A0.”

Meanwhile copywriters are getting underway interviewing all the exhibitors, says Asselbergs. “Ten years ago we held a similar exhibition to celebrate the university's then lustrum. That exhibition catalogue is a fabulous document. This time around we also aim to publish an accompanying book.”

The exhibition Artistic Heroes Like You runs from October 1st through 28th and will be displayed on the ground floor of the Atlas building.

De photo was made during the lustrum exhibition in 2011.