Roberto Voorbij (1974) lives and works in Amsterdam, holds a bachelor degree in Visual Arts and Art History from the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht and has attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he took classes from a.o. Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle during the late 1990s. Voorbij is a multidisciplinary artist, apart from working with ‘ready made’ materials, he works with 3D Software, (digital) collage and video. Besides (national) identity are commerciality and public space recurring themes in Voorbij's work. What highly fascinates him about this is the underlying history, politics and marketing strategy of our seemingly neutral environment. His works are often socially critical. Another recurring theme concerns the art world / art market and the way in which the artist manifests itself here, as well as the autonomy of the artwork that’s being questioned. In addition to a representation by online gallery Saatchi Art, Voorbij is represented by Leontia Gallery in London. In 2020 his work was part of the International Biennial of Asunción, Paraguay. As part of a group show his short ‘Without clear purpose’ screened at Museum of the Moving Image, New York. This year his short ‘Carte Blanche’ screened at BOMBA Gallery, Moscow. Further, is one of his Artist Portraits part of the traveling group exhibition 'The World of
Frida' in the United States.

Amsterdam, Central Station (Tram Stop)
2021
2 min 25 sec, 1280 x 720, AAC, 48000 Hz, Stereo

About the work: In this short animation, rendered with 3D Software, the disappearing of spirituality and enchantment from public space formed the focal point. In the Netherlands nowadays, religions are increasingly kept behind its citizen's front door, myths seem to have lost their place in our daily life. It appears there's less and less room for coincidence or poetry, the useless or mystery. We are living in a technological controlled world of efficiency and measurable units. Where is the magic, where are the miracles?