MARIJKE VAN WARMERDAM, On to a new world!, 2004
recto: signed, dated, numbered
published by Buchhandlung Walther Koenig, Cologne, Germany
The tendency to balance between reality and abstraction is characteristic of the work of Marijke van Warmerdam. This 'flattening' of reality may seem to make the work less accessible, but her titles always offer guidance. They function as a catalyst for the image as a whole, in other words: the image may also be viewed in conjunction with the title.
The edition 'On to a new world!' shows a landscape of an unknown planet. It appears to have been photographed from a high-altitude satellite. A shooting star (at the sight of it, a part of humanity makes a wish, it is said) is supposed to emphasize that. In reality, the landscape is a close-up of a badly plastered wall.
Marijke van Warmerdam likes to take a positive approach to anticipating what will possibly take place in the future. By means of the imperative 'On to a new world!' she wants to face the future with an optimistic view, with all the wishes that come with it.
KvG, June 2023