Last week sunday it was the feast of StNicholas, a major gift-giving event in the Netherlands. We gave ourself the gift of going to Kunsthal in Rotterdam, who did ‘Calder Now’. The exhibition connects Calders work with the work of ten prominent contemporary artists.

I found these links to be sometimes tenuous (Simone Leigh, her ceramic head being made of ‘humble material’), sometimes fascinating (Žilvinas Kempinas, who used unwound magnetic tape from video tapes on a wall, and a fan to make them move).

One thing I missed – a link to the fun Calder must have had while making his mobiles, tinkering with materials, trying things out. His pieces – as exhibited here – are so very finished.

First image below is by Aki Sasmoto – movable Japanese panel doors with small objects in them. Wish I could have seen the performance that makes the work come alive … “different light or the choice of a different object can send her story in a completely different direction.”

Best one to experience: Ernesto Neto ‘It happens when the body is anatomy of time‘, 2000, National Galleries of Scotland. Can be smelled (cumin, tumeric, clove) and walked through.