02 may 2023, Pienk de Gaay Fortman
Philosophy and personal stories in the work of Joran van Soest
Joran van Soest is a versatile artist who experiments with painting, drawing, photography, installations, performance and film. In early 2023, he completed a residency at the EKWC in Oisterwijk. In Paper Trails at GoMulan Gallery, the artist is exhibiting a combination of recent and earlier work. Van Soest comments, “I often start working on a painting and then put it away for a bit. I have to leave it behind for a while. So, that's why there are older works to which I've added the final brushstrokes. The past few months at the EKWC have been a dream that has allowed me to shift my foundation – an opportunity I wish every artist could have.”
From the age of 14, Joran van Soest was determined to become an artist. Since graduating in 2018 from the AKV St. Joost in Den Bosch, his creations have certainly not gone unnoticed. Van Soest now has dozens of exhibitions, residencies, publications and awards to his name. With his residency at the EKWC, a long-cherished dream has come true. What does he think is the strength behind this institution? Van Soest responds, “As an artist, you always have to confirm your space within the frameworks of society. At the EKWC, I received guidance from teachers with a very good sense of what an artist needs. I was able to learn and experiment without having to justify myself – it was a magical experience that has given me the courage to make sculptural work.”
Joran van Soest, Safe, 2023, GoMulan Gallery
Joran van Soest works in a wide range of media. For his paintings, he initially makes collages with images from his own archive, varying from pictures of major historical events to children's photos and images he makes of his performances. When his collage is finished, he paints over it. Sometimes, in addition to other materials like ink and spray paint, he also incorporates stucco, gravel or sand into his work, which gives the work a relief effect.
A key concept in Van Soest's oeuvre is intersubjective space. He defines this as “the space between yourself and the other, between how I experience the world and how it can differ from someone else's perception. It's self-reflection. I see the world I make as a closed universe that is layered and fragmented.” The artist captures this individual interspace in the work Safe (2023). On a wooden panel, we see a charcoal table setting with a person standing next to it. As a viewer, you feel like an outsider looking down on this central figure. The scene is based on his stay on the Danube in Budapest. The artist candidly admits that he was dealing with heartbreak, so the work originated from those emotions. Van Soest explains, “It visualises the room I stayed in when I had to find myself again. The parachutes floating above the central figure refer to the weight you have and are; they cushion you as it were.”
Joran van Soest, Collective Memory, 2021, GoMulan Gallery
Whereas the parachute refers to the individual world of experience, the zeppelin, according to Van Soest, reflects everyone. It is a familiar image to everyone, but that has fallen out of use since the Hindenburg disaster. He made several versions of this object in the form of sculptures and paintings. GoMulan Gallery is displaying the work Collective Memory (2021), a dynamic painting of a downing zeppelin. It is inspired by the LZ129 Hindenburg disaster on 6 May 1937, in which a German passenger airship exploded shortly before landing near New York. Thanks to film and radio recordings, the disaster became known all over the world. Van Soest paints the event in black and white to emphasise the apocalyptic, historical setting. His fascination with zeppelins originated from looking at books owned by his grandfather, a radio operator for the Air Force. The ceramic work Radio Tower (2023), which he made during his EKWC period, is once again connected to this personal history. Like the zeppelin back then, the radio tower is a means to connect people and worlds. These media represent much more than just their functionality; they are home to countless individual and collective stories.
Joran van Soest, Radio Tower, 2023, GoMulan Gallery
How people relate to nature is also a common theme in his work. The artist comments, “In my work, nature is a metaphor for the experience of being in contact with one another. Nature is alien to modern society and stands apart from society as an objective space.” In this sense, Van Soest is holding up a mirror to how we deal with nature today. A work that nicely illustrates his vision is Within (2018), a two-meter-long painting of paint, ink, charcoal, gesso and paper. In the foreground are two tree trunks with branches spread across the entire length. A fence is implied in the background and a human figure can be seen. It is not clear whether the viewer is looking at a person imprisoned in a cage or looking from the perspective of someone imprisoned in a cage. The artist philosophises freely: “The work becomes a medium for observing the fragmentation that arises when I try to understand the world in relation to myself.” He elaborates on the same theme in newer works such as Build Up (2023), Stacked (2023) and Two Campfires and a House (2023), in which Van Soest's visual language is just as layered as the philosophical thoughts behind it. If you’re curious how this young artist weaves a web between the two, come see for yourself until May 14 at GoMulan Gallery.
Joran van Soest, Within, 2018, GoMulan Gallery
