For decades, portraiture has been the framework of the process of Dutch artist Katinka Lampe. It allows her to reflect on how we look at one another, and how we ourselves are being perceived. In this new series, Lampe questions how central the portrait still needs to be within her work. Her paintings move through a process of appearance and disappearance: figures gradually emerge from the canvas, only to fade back into shadow.
For the first time, Lampe also embraces multi-figure compositions. Where she previously avoided narrative, these new works allow for inclusion and softness. Zacht reflects on visibility and power: who is seen, who remains at the margins, and whether it is possible to look at one another without hierarchy. Rather than hardness or judgement, the exhibition proposes attentiveness, vulnerability, and softness as active positions.