My bus is not made out of metal, it is made out of fabrics. So I think you are entering the world of imagination.

— Red Grooms

The artist Red Grooms, born in Nashville, USA, gets his name because of his red hair colour. He belongs to a young generation of artists who feel disconnected from what they are taught at art school. They believe that what they see in museums does not relate to their lives or the world around them. Can you relate? Hopefully, it will be different at Fenix.

Red Grooms and his peers, turn to sources such as Hollywood movies, advertising, product packaging, pop music and comic books for their artworks, which they call pop art.

Red Grooms, The Bus, 1995, collectie Fenix

Red Grooms, The Bus, 1995, collection Fenix

Do you sometimes travel by public transport? You have probably noticed that a reflection of the city is found in a bus, metro or tram. When you visit Fenix, you will be able to board The Bus (1995), a life-sized bus made out of fabric. You can enter it and sit in the empty spot next to the rest of the passengers created by Red. There is even a strip of ads below the ceiling. Perhaps you will even channel New York City’s odour. A bus is exactly one of those places you experience daily in a big city. Just, ask yourself, how did you travel to work today? These places form part of our daily, seemingly mundane journeys, that shape our bigger life’s story.

Binnenkant van het kunstwerk The Bus door Red Grooms: een levensgrote, textiele bus.

Red Grooms, The Bus, 1995, collection Fenix

All Directions

This artwork is part of the exhibition All Directions. In this exhibition you discover more about identity and happiness, about crossing borders and being forced to flee, about saying goodbye and coming home. Read more about All Directions.