For her solo-show DEPARTURE at Cokkie Snoei, Eveline Visser has exclusively created a series of paintings and objects that examine existential dualities such as heaven and hell, order and chaos, darkness and hope. DEPARTURE marks Vissers return to smaller forms from the large-scale installations she has recently worked on.
Visser assembles painting, collage and ready-mades into pieces of touching precision. Her subjects can often be found clinging onto floating structures, swirling through clouds, destination unknown. Living in the Clouds, the title of one of the works on show, becomes a metaphor for the contemporary escapism into virtual worlds. The artist does not share the common culturally pessimistic critique of the internet as an illusionary world. After all, what is reality? Visser is fascinated by the promises of the metaverse to brush destiny aside and become a creature of one’s own imagination.
Vissers artistic practice is narrative, there is a story at the bottom of each work, following its own unique rules of expression. Layers of text, often catch-phrases borrowed from the glittering world of advertising, lend a different meaning to the imagery. Inspirational quotes such as Good Vibes Only form a contrast to the moody atmosphere of the pieces that often appears emotional, even funny. In November 2022 Eveline Visser will receive the prestigious Henrik Chabot Prize. The jury’s statement emphasized the dualistic tension of her work that combines dystopian motives with the assurance of hope – a quality that perfectly reflects the very special occasion of this show.
DEPARTURE also marks the completion of a circle: in April 1989 Cokkie Snoei’s opening exhibition showed works by Eveline Visser – this December the gallery is closing its doors after 33 extraordinary years.
Diana Weis