TORCH presents Doubling Down, the first duo exhibition by Erik de Bree and Sander Reijgers. In the game of blackjack, doubling down means taking a higher risk that can yield a greater reward. 'Brothers in art' De Bree and Reijgers have known each other for 15 years, following similar paths and frequently exchanging ideas. They share an all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to creating. Both artists are invested in the formal approach to art, intent on discovering all possibilities their respective materials have to offer.
While creating 2021's Soviet Series, Erik de Bree (NL, 1977) developed a fascination with wood. The rearrangement of wooden layers formed the starting point for his new body of work, which consists of artworks made with anything from plaster, ink, paint and wallpaper to children's puzzles and foil used for advertising. De Bree lets the material surprise him; rearranged pieces of wood create disorienting patterns, and layered transparent pieces of foil create new colours. There is a clear connection between De Bree's projects, as he continues his playful research of material, structure, colour and technique with each new series.
Sander Reijgers' (NL, 1977) inquisitive attitude as a painter set him on a path to something new: sculptures made out of paint. These threedimensional pieces were born out of an attempt to create painting that resembles ceramics. Similar to how the canvas size determined the number of actions in his abstract paintings, here the size of the paint bucket determines the actions and the eventual size of the object. Endless layers of different types of paint are combined with materials such as paper, cardboard, fabric and anything laying around to create artworks that hold the middle between painting, sculpture and ceramics.
Sander Reijgers is represented by Galerie Roger Katwijk