NEWS

Dennie Boxem (1983) is an independent artist, gallery owner of Galerie Dennie Boxem, musician, singer of Koorbazen and over 21.000 people have contributed to his Team-Artworks.

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

We can not deny that we, humanity, are responsible for deforestation, plastic soup, bio-industry, overfished seas, biodiversity-loss and all the rest. This is a fact. It is a fact as well that we have been booking progress since the beginning of our existence.

The fact that these two conflicting facts are both 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.

Boxems 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 and 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 considered 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, can be considered as progress. The philosophy starts to get interesting when it gets to the level of politics. Say every future political decision has 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; progress used in its full advantage. Progress without collateral damage to fellow man and the natural world. He aims to promote awareness, provoke dialogue and inspire action, to contribute to inner-revolutions with individuals, to help catalyse a collective change.

Like the artwork David Attenborough: Let’s Rewild The World where over four thousand people added one green dot to an industrial landscape. “I am proud to see the visitors of my gallery leaving more decisive, hopeful and positive after having experienced that every individual contribution does indeed count.”

An important part of Boxems work are Team-Artworks. A Team-Artwork is an artwork where tens or hundreds can contribute as an artist. The group literally gets immortalised in an artwork together. This stimulates acquaintance, connects, bonds and raises awareness. Over 21.000 people have directly contributed to Boxems artworks.

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.