01 january 2024, Flor Linckens
Cottage Core: renewed inspiration in the work of Janine van Oene
Until 27 January, Galerie Gerhard Hofland in Amsterdam is displaying a solo exhibition by Janine van Oene. The Dutch artist encourages viewers to make free associations, though her semi-abstract representations, structures and colour combinations often distinctly reference forms and objects from reality.
The resulting images in Van Oene's work incorporate elements of both figuration and abstraction, and the smooth, elegant forms visually echo calligraphy. Van Oene often works on multiple canvases simultaneously, allowing her to physically step away from a painting. When she returns, she is often able to instinctively determine what the canvas further requires.
In her new exhibition 'Cottage Core' at Galerie Gerhard Hofland, Van Oene has embarked on a new artistic direction. Cottage Core, an aesthetic that became particularly popular during the pandemic on TikTok and in real life, advocates for a simple and soft lifestyle, preferably in the countryside. It encompasses activities like gardening, maintaining a vegetable garden and chickens, baking your own bread, and knitting your own sweater. This idyllic and somewhat nostalgic way of life starkly contrasts with the fast-paced, consumption-driven life in big cities, often reflecting a desire for a more sustainable, healthier, and offline existence amidst a climate crisis.
In Oene's paintings, elements from other, sometimes related lifestyle trends like grandmacore, goblincore, and fairycore are also evident. Consequently, her paintings are far from gentle and beige; they are vibrant and powerful, featuring elements like flowers, farmhouse tea towels, and in some pieces even something that resembles blood splatters. In this exhibition, Oene deliberately explores the boundaries of the ugly, and these works vary greatly in terms of scale.
After her studies at the HKU, Van Oene completed residencies at De Ateliers, AGA Lab in Amsterdam, Bison Caravan in Brazil and the Mountain School of Art in LA. She also created commissioned works for the K.F. Heinfonds in the foyer of Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht. The artist has won several awards, including the Buning Brongers Prize (2014), the Royal Award for Modern Painting (2017), and the Jeanne Oosting Prize (2020). Her works have been included in the collections of De Nederlandse Bank, the AMC hospital, KMPG, the Royal Collections, the ING Art Collection and AkzoNobel.
