Magazine
19 january 2024, Flor Linckens
A celebration of 15 years of collaboration: Jan Wattjes at Livingstone Gallery
Jan Wattjes, Made in Vietnam, 2018, Livingstone gallery. Photo: Peter Cox
Livingstone Gallery in The Hague is hosting a solo exhibition of Jan Wattjes until 10 February 2024. The exhibition commemorates the fifteen-year collaboration between the gallery and the Dutch artist.
The meeting between gallery owner Jeroen Dijkstra and Jan Wattjes took place in 2008, when Wattjes was first nominated for the Royal Award for Modern Painting, which was presented at the (current) Kunstmuseum in The Hague. 'Still Fresh Paint,' the title of his new exhibition at Livingstone Gallery, refers to the name of Wattjes' first exhibition in the gallery: 'Fresh Paint.'
Jan Wattjes, Livingstone Gallery
Wattjes' artworks not only reflect his personal quest for identity and the essence of contemporary painting, but also offer an intriguing perspective on the art world itself. Operating under a pseudonym, Wattjes shifts between figurative and more abstract works in his practice, exploring the boundaries of painting within his diverse body of work. He holds a fascination for the history of painting and the spaces in which we engage with art, particularly galleries with a white cube setup. Following a period at the Livingstone Projects studio in Berlin in 2014, he embarked on a project to transform the facades of local and renowned international galleries - such as Gagosian and Matthew Marks Gallery - into abstract panels. In doing so, he metamorphoses the white cube into a conceptual form, representing the interim phase between exhibitions. The artist has previously stated, "I consider the white cube to be an empty canvas. For me, it's a starting point to paint." Wattjes is also captivated by the concept of an artwork before it materializes. His work is also inspired by the journeys he has undertaken, including a trip to Vietnam.
Jan Wattjes, Matthew Marks Gallery, NYC II, 2018, Livingstone Gallery
Jan Wattjes was born in The Hague in 1981. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KABK) in The Hague, followed by a master's degree in Painting at the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen. His work has been included in the collections of the Kunstmuseum Den Haag and the AkzoNobel Art Foundation and has been featured in a solo exhibition at the Museum Jan Cunen, among other venues. The artist has received four nominations for the Royal Award for Modern Painting (Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst) and in 2010, he was awarded the Buning Brongers Prize. Additionally, Wattjes participated in the Dutch television program "De Nieuwe Rembrandt," a talent competition for artists. Furthermore, the artist completed a residency program at Livingstone Projects Berlin.
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