OOBOO – MU Hybrid Art Space Eindhoven

press release:

Art project OOBOO – the chase for good fortune – Bas Kosters & Aleks Bokova

Artists Bas Kosters and Aleks Bokova have collaborated on a new art project as part of the Stimuleringsfonds Building Talent program. This project began with a question posed by Bas Kosters Studio: how could the tactile, physical world of Bas’s work be reimagined in a digital space to expand his artistic universe? Aleks, a young professional and digital creator, responded by exploring how digital creations could complement and partially replace physical works, enabling the project to reach diverse audiences across both physical and digital platforms. The result is a unique on-site mixed-media installation that could be displayed either physically or fully digitally.

OOBOO is a digital world where a fantastical journey unfolds in pursuit of SCHSSS—referred to as “luck” by its inhabitants. SCHSSS is a good fortune and a joyful existence—it is what everybody in OOBOO world is after.
Central to this narrative are Ooophe, an egg in search of SCHSSS, who travel toward the tower of the two KRRRs to achieve their goal. This symbolic pursuit of luck revolves around a material-shifting egg that adapts to its surroundings, journeying through imaginary landscapes and meeting all kinds of mythical creatures. The egg guides the audiences toward a temple-like tower, representing the ultimate fortune.

Amid a world shaped by crisis and uncertainty, OOBOO explores how magical thinking and superstition can grant a sense of agency, offering comfort against the chaos of modern life, but also reflecting to traditions from the past. The exhibition creates a bridge between the organic and synthetic, blending materials and digital forms to evoke a familiar yet dreamlike tactility.

The collaboration between Bas and Aleks embodies a playful yet powerful vision, pushing their practices into new creative territories. Their dialogue throughout the process was a creative journey in itself, leading to the development of a new world of characters that resonated deeply with both artists. Through extensive research into materials that are particularly challenging to recreate in the physical realm, they discovered ways to transform these into captivating digital sculptures. The synthetic and toy-like qualities of these works transport viewers into a parallel universe where reality feels tactile yet distinctly otherworldly. The exhibition presents these diverse digital worlds as a unified artistic experience, projected onto experimental textile screens. The immersive scenery is complemented by various textile artworks, including a series of fabric dolls and experimental seating elements.

Hosted by MU Hybrid Art House in Eindhoven, the exhibition combines digital innovation with experimental artistry, offering a new vision of the creative possibilities within digital culture.

Bas Kosters is an artist and designer, driven by commitment and compassion. He creates worlds inhabited by radiant, alarming and endearing figures that reflect his social engagement. No matter the discipline, Bas works vigorously and with enthusiasm. He is especially fond of textile and graphic art, which he uses to express and celebrate personal and societal themes. He approaches difficult emotions in a light-footed way, with subtle and sometimes wry humor and his trademark texts. Bas’ fascination for cartoon characters, visualizations and erotica leads to a reality full of friction, full of different views that compete for your attention. His stories are expressed in tapestries, dolls, decors, glass objects, drawings, paintings, ceramics, and now, digital art.

Aleks Bokova is a Rotterdam-based 3D artist, creating digital realms filled with magical narratives and larger-than-life characters. Through digital VR sculpting and animation, she experiments with the intricate plasticity of objects and characters, delving into themes of complex human emotions and insecurities. Largely inspired by her childhood in a post-soviet environment, she weaves together elements from her dreams and memories, transforming them into dreamlike scenarios. Constantly pushing the boundaries of her 3D practice, Aleks crafts digital narratives that are both relatable and transcendent.