Eric van Hove, Algerian born, living and working in Morocco.
Hamofa Project.
About:
Morocco hosts 3 million craftsmen whose role, manpower and informal economy shows great potential in the wake of the solar power technology development. As a conceptual artist and social entrepreneur based in Marrakesh, Eric van Hove offer some insights into his vision and future ventures involving craft as a social empowerment tool in the post-Fordist and post-Colonial context of North-Africa.
V12 Laraki Project, 2013.
V12 Laraki Project, 2013.
Eric van Hove is a conceptual artist and social entrepreneur who was born in Algeria to Belgian parents, raised in Cameroon, educated in Tokyo and spent nearly a decade of his adult life traveling and working extensively across every continent. Recently, he settled in Morocco to establish what he calls a “living, socioeconomic sculpture” – or as others know it: Atelier Eric van Hove. Beyond being an embodiment of metamorphosis, this atelier is where V12 Laraki, the full-fledged sculptural replica of a V12 Mercedes engine with craft -now on show at the Jaffe-Friede Gallery and presented by the artist recently at TEDx Marrakech- was born. Furthermore, his Atelier is also the cornerstone of his new goal: initiating a Renaissance of Craft in the Maghreb in post-Fordist times.
Mercedes Bens Engine.
For information about Eric van Hove: The Craft of Art exhibit on view in Jaffe-Fried Gallery, Hopkins Center please link to http://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/explore/exhibitions/eric-van-hove