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Chives Archives on Wat nu, Koetsier?

Wat nu, Koetsier? is a project initiated by Chives Archives  and René Put in collaboration with Het Parool, inspired by conceptual artist Hans Koetsier's collection of Advertisements, which were published mainly in Vrij Nederland and Het Parool between 1969-1981. The series proposes a research of contemporary graphic design and visual language, using the objectives of the advertisement as a means of communicating ideas and ideals, investigating a connection to the daily news (printed and online) and, consequently, our society. 

With his advertisements, Hans Koetsier literally bought himself a public platform to present his conceptual work, influenced by the Fluxus movement and increasingly radical both in size (from a small tab to a full page) and content (from a random list of telephone numbers to boldly typeset statements such as you suffer terribly). His Advertisements infiltrated the supposedly objective news with a voice that at times had a light, parodic tone and other times reflected a critical comment towards the art world, politics and society. His texts were often considered provoking, despite the fact that Koetsier rarely directed his comments towards a specific subject. His statements are still anything but outdated, occasionally even unsettlingly close to questions today.

In the spirit of Hans Koetsier, 45 graphic designers are invited to design their own ‘advertisement’, to induce a contemporary work or statement that manifests the force of communication.