NEWS

Dennie Boxem (1983) is an independent artist, gallery owner, musician, singer of Koorbazen and over 28.500 people have contributed to his Team-Artworks.

You can find Galerie Dennie Boxem at Assendorperstraat 174 in Zwolle.

Since 2020 Dennie makes his art in his philosophy The New Definition Of Progress. He wants his art to visualise progress in its full potential; used in its full advantage. The New Definition Of Progress contains the following.

Dennie reckons that we can not deny that we, humanity, are main responsible for the deforestation, plastic soup, bio-industry, overfished seas, biodiversity-loss and all the following consequences. This is a fact. But it is also a fact that we have been booking progress since the beginning of our existence.

The fact that these conflicting facts are true at the same time, has two reasons.

One: we have only booked progress for our own specie.

Two: we wore blinders for the collateral damage our progress was causing.

So, with humanity’s constant thrive to keep moving forward, how do we solve this?

Easy.

With a new definition of progress.

Dennie’s New Definition Of Progress is as simple as it is effective. It implies that everyone, in every moment of action, has the choice to try minimise the collateral damage to our fellow man and the natural world. When possible exclude it. Or even better, reverse earlier damage. Every act, action, change or development can only be labeled as ‘progress’, when there is no collateral damage caused with this act, action, change or development.

Every individual choice, as simple as picking up a piece of litter; eating less (or no) meat; not buying plastic wrapped products; or rewilding your garden, means ‘progress’. The philosophy starts will get interesting when it gets to the level of politics, and every future political decision must try to minimise, exclude, and ideally reverse earlier inflicted collateral damage. Where politics often lack decisiveness due to conflicting interests, The New Definition Of Progress provides this common interest above all others. And these goals are getting more essential every day.

Boxem wants his art to propagate this new definition. He wants his art to visualise progress in its full potential; used in its full advantage; excluded from collateral damage to our fellow man or the natural world. He aims to promote awareness, provoke dialogue and inspire action, to contribute to inner-revolutions within individuals, to help catalyse a collective change.

Take the artwork David Attenborough: Let’s Rewild The World, where more than four thousand people added one green dot to rewild an industrial landscape. “Everyone feels that their one dot hardly has any impact, but everyone sees that every dot was needed to accomplish the goal, stimulated likemindedness. I am proud to see the participants leaving more decisive, hopeful and positive after contributing.”

Of course indecisive politics and large polluting compagnies are our greatest problem, but they should be handled the same.

An important part of Dennie’s work are Team-Artworks. A Team-Artwork is an artwork where tens, hundreds or thousands can contribute as artists. The group literally gets immortalised in an artwork together. This stimulates acquaintance, connects, bonds and raises awareness. Over 28.500 people have directly contributed to Dennie’s art.

By letting people be a part of his art, Boxem aims to let them be a part of his message.

As a cultural entrepreneur, Boxem has organised and curated exhibitions like Public Expo and POP UP Museum Theater de Spiegel aiming to promote contemporary artists from Zwolle.