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Manuela Klerkx
From paper to art II/II
In part two of my diptych about the meaning of paper in art, I describe the work of Ado Hamelryck, Jackie Mulder and Charlotte Schrameijer. Hamelryck's abstract, black drawings contrast considerably with the more personal work of Mulder and Schrameijer, who use paper not only as a carrier, but also as a medium. Despite their significant differences, all three artists respond in their work to what has happened and is happening in and around them: Hamelryck by relinquishing any reference to reality in protest and Mulder and Schrameijer by allowing hidden memories and feelings of doubt and uncertainty to enter their work, respectively.
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Ado Hamelryck (1941) studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp. After experimenting with relativistic realism – using colour – he returned to the essence of art in 1975 and entered a more contemplative phase of his career. He found this in the so-called ‘black monotony’, consisting of different shades of black and an endless repetition of rhythmic actions on paper. By reducing the writing – or is it drawing? – to a repetition of the same signs, his work has a strong meditative component. Hamelryck wanted to leave out the emotional, subjective element in art by limiting himself to making exclusively black ‘abstract writings’ as a reaction to the superficiality and indoctrinations that, in his eyes, characterise today’s society. Despite the omission of emotional or subjective elements of choice, Hamelryck's work has a high degree of sensitivity and mystery, which is partly evoked by the different tonalities of black and differences in size, thickness and intensity of the characters.
The 'meaningless' writing ensures that all meaning vanishes into 'Nothing'.Ado Hamelryck
According to the artist, patiently chronicling meaningless signs – on paper, in books and on wooden panels – results in 'the senseless gaining meaning in the form of a pure image'. Although he no longer works with colour, he still considers himself a colourist, albeit one who only uses black. Hamelryck explains, “If I use graphite, it metallises, it catches and reflects light. And light is colour. I always call myself a pianist with a jackhammer. I drill to go deeper and deeper instead of expanding left and right. Repetition is essential.” He has by now ‘written’ countless works of art, full of abstract signs without meaning. Yet resulting in pure art.
Represented by Gallery Sofie Van den Bussche
According to the artist, patiently chronicling meaningless signs – on paper, in books and on wooden panels – results in 'the senseless gaining meaning in the form of a pure image'. Although he no longer works with colour, he still considers himself a colourist, albeit one who only uses black. Hamelryck explains, “If I use graphite, it metallises, it catches and reflects light. And light is colour. I always call myself a pianist with a jackhammer. I drill to go deeper and deeper instead of expanding left and right. Repetition is essential.” He has by now ‘written’ countless works of art, full of abstract signs without meaning. Yet resulting in pure art.
Represented by Gallery Sofie Van den Bussche
Jackie Mulder
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Jackie Mulder is fascinated by the way our brains work when we let our minds wander. She also realises all too well that no one reaches adulthood without sustaining any minor of major traumas. These often occur in childhood and before you know it, influence the rest of our lives, whether we like it or not. Jackie is well aware of this and considers her artistic process a way not to supress the past, but to leave it behind. Mulder explains, “In a contemplative process that arises from repetitive manual work, I create my own world, calm my mind and repair the damage.”
With her Thought Trails project, consisting of patterns of stitched and sewn photos, Mulder shows how our brains operate when we let them switch randomly between the past and present, from pin-sharp to blurry. She connects images in the form of photographs with the irregularity of a (usually) common thread to create a new reality out of old pains. Mulder explains, “I use the irregularity of the thread to draw with it like a pencil meandering over the image. I let the thread connect and separate as an abstraction of a lifetime’s worth of memories, searching and thinking.”
In addition to photography and thread, Mulder uses techniques and materials such as charcoal, stitching, beeswax, ink, paint and transparent silk, the latter usually embroidered by hand. Elements like tactility and layering characterise Mulder's work, which often consists of a gap between the front and back layers of paper, forcing the viewer to navigate between pin-sharp and vague images – just as our brain has to constantly switch between past and present and between experience and memory. Mulder likes to work in large format and make installations that add depth and layers to her images. She prefers to let the public walk through her photos and installations as if they were wandering through a forest of memories, where every step leads to amazement and – perhaps – recognition.
Represented by Janknegt Gallery
With her Thought Trails project, consisting of patterns of stitched and sewn photos, Mulder shows how our brains operate when we let them switch randomly between the past and present, from pin-sharp to blurry. She connects images in the form of photographs with the irregularity of a (usually) common thread to create a new reality out of old pains. Mulder explains, “I use the irregularity of the thread to draw with it like a pencil meandering over the image. I let the thread connect and separate as an abstraction of a lifetime’s worth of memories, searching and thinking.”
In addition to photography and thread, Mulder uses techniques and materials such as charcoal, stitching, beeswax, ink, paint and transparent silk, the latter usually embroidered by hand. Elements like tactility and layering characterise Mulder's work, which often consists of a gap between the front and back layers of paper, forcing the viewer to navigate between pin-sharp and vague images – just as our brain has to constantly switch between past and present and between experience and memory. Mulder likes to work in large format and make installations that add depth and layers to her images. She prefers to let the public walk through her photos and installations as if they were wandering through a forest of memories, where every step leads to amazement and – perhaps – recognition.
Represented by Janknegt Gallery