Born: September 14, 1952
Place of birth: Leiden
Registered: IDOC list ( recognized professional artists by C.B.K. -Zeeland)

Short introduction
Hans Overvliet has been investigating the role of the mass media since 2013 in reporting on (military) violence and the fading memories of war violence. He investigates, among other things, the ownership of the incident and the surviving stories versus their documentation. The themes that the artist discusses have to do with visual culture, the overwhelming amount of the images which hit us and the thoughtless consumption of those images.
In the project distant suffering Overvliet questions the role of the viewer on mass media, his own role as an artist, as well as the neutrality and safety of the art space.
‘By restoring and deconstructing existing media images, Overvliet allows us to view these images from a completely different paradigm.’

The title distant suffering is taken from the book Distant Suffering, Morality, Media and Politics by Luc Boltanski.

Art critic Nico Out recently wrote about the work of Hans Overvliet “… Behind the formal aspect of the work of Hans Overvliet lies a strong commitment to the troubled places in the world. (…) Transitoriness gets an extra load in his work. In “Anatomy of a cloud” and “Syrian skies” he refers modestly and insistently to the destruction of life in the struggle of people. …. ‘

Exhibitions with work from the distant suffering project
2018
Group: Distortion | Den Bosch
Group: Cultural Center | Bruges
Solo: ruimteCAESUUR | Middelburg
Solo: SEA Foundation | Tilburg [ residence ]

2017
Group: Culture center Bruges | ‘Les Refugés’
Solo: Vleeshal | Middelburg | So You Do not Get Lost in the Neighborhood
Group: ruimteCAESUUR | Middelburg
Solo: Abbey Complex |  Middelburg
Solo: Art Camping | Syria
Group: Abbey complex | Iconoclastic Fury | Middelburg

2016
Group: Art Gouda [ residence ]
Group: Biennale Amersfoort
Solo: Theater De Fransche School | Culemborg

2015
Solo: Mon Capitaine | Middelburg
Solo: (WOOT) | Antwerp [ Belgium ]

2014
Group: Willem3 | Vlissingen
Solo: W45 art space | Goes
Group: Symposion Gorinchem

Expected exhibitions:
2019
Group: M5 | Bergen op Zoom

Prices | stipends
2018
Red Art Line Art Works [ U.K. ] | Annual Award 2018 ‘art series’ for distant suffering
2012 – 2018
Practice subsidy | Foundation Visual Arts Middelburg / Vleeshal

Work in collection
Waterland Neeltje Jans
Municipality of Axel
Municipality of Bruges
Municipality of Middelburg
CBK Zealand
Various private collections

Art-related activities
2009 – present | Chairman Stichting kunstplaats KipVis
2015 – present | Initiator of Vereniging Art House Zeeland, platform for artists
1995 – present | Founder, curator & co-director of ruimteCAESUUR
2009 – 2014 | Chairman foundation decreet / concrete, art magazine decreet
2005 – 2012 | Chairman PLUS MIN Foundation, Renesse, later IK Foundation, Vlissingen
2005 – 2009 | Unserved director Dalstar Foundation (Amsterdam)
Moderator Zeeland Culture Debates
Moderator introduction evening CBK – design department
Moderator Zeeland Day for Architecture, Vlissingen, CBK – department architecture