26 august 2024, Wouter van den Eijkel
The studio of... Justus de Rode
New Perspectives is the name of the upcoming group exhibition at Galerie Helder that includes the work of Justus de Rode. The artist uses a 19th-century technique called cyanotype, a technique that was popular among botanists in documenting the natural world.
For his new series Views of Nature, Justus de Rode (NL, 1997) uses this technique for the opposite purpose. His work focuses on our relationship with nature, particularly the balance between emotion and reason. Reason consistently dominates, causing us to keep nature at a distance. “The value of emotion and imagination in our view of nature is not as tangible as factual documentation and therefore almost forgotten.” With Views of Nature, De Rode wants to offer a counterbalance, an antidote that reduces our distance from nature.
New Perspectives featuring work by Justus de Rode, Kris Reijersen van Buuren, Leon Stoffelen and Cao Tang, opens on 14 September at Galerie Helder in The Hague.
Justus der Rode, There begins an optical magic, Galerie Helder
Where is your studio and what does it look like?
A few months ago, I moved in with my girlfriend and since then, I've had a spacious room as a studio. To me, a home studio has lots of advantages, especially compared to a shared studio, where I used to work. But there’s no place to quickly hide clutter, so it’s always relatively tidy. I notice that when my studio is organised, my mind is also clear. I have a large filing cabinet for work and various types of paper, but that will fill up eventually. Then I’ll have to filter and some prints will have to be recycled.
To print the blueprints for my new series, I actually use half the house: I need a countertop next to running water and preferably an outdoor area to expose the paper. But I have to make sure the door stays closed because my cat likes to contribute with its own technique: paw prints.
If you had to find a new studio tomorrow, what would be a minimum requirement for the space?
For my current work, running water and an outdoor space or large window are necessary. I’ve also realised that I prefer to work alone and not share the space. I’m too sensitive to the presence of others. But I think I’ll eventually outgrow this space, so more room would be nice.
Justus der Rode, The Needs of our feelings, Galerie Helder
Take us through a typical day in the studio. Do you work in complete silence or prefer background noise? Do you welcome visitors? And do you have any specific routines?
That depends on what the week demands of me. There are days when I do research, days when I work and days spent at the computer. Whether or not there’s music depends on the task. For the technique I’m currently using, I need to prepare paper that then needs to dry at least overnight. Having a home studio is great, which means I can work for an hour in the evening without needing to bike somewhere. But it’s also a double-edged sword because I have to be careful that the line between working and not working doesn’t blur.
Looking at your CV, you've taken a rather unconventional path. You have a bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary social science and an MA in film and photographic studies. But have not attended an art academy. Is that an advantage or disadvantage in your opinion?
By my third year of ISS (interdisciplinary social science), it became clear that I should have gone to art school. But I was too far in, so I decided to finish. The film & photographic studies master's programme offered a sort of middle ground, a deepening of my work. By academic standards, it’s a very practice-oriented programme, where I could also write about the photo series I was working on. Still, I think it’s something I’ve had to defend often. So, in that sense, it was a disadvantage, especially at first, but now that my work and CV are expanding, that scepticism is fading.
Justus der Rode, Close to the arctic circle, Galerie Helder
How did you end up in the art world?
Both my parents attended Minerva (Groningen’s art academy). My mother pursued a different career, but my father remained a painter and later taught at Minerva. In that sense, I always had a great teacher. Things went off track because I attended a grammar school where everyone automatically assumed you would go to a university.
Is that ISS background the reason you were drawn to someone like Alexander von Humboldt as a source of inspiration? Or to put it more simply, how did the idea for Views of Nature come about?
I think an interdisciplinary approach has definitely stuck with me. Since my previous series, Mycelium, I've been exploring how reason and emotion relate to each other in our view of the world. I saw with my father how the loss of rational thinking made room for wonder, a pure perspective. At the same time, my interest in ecology grew. These are two sides of me that always seem to be in conflict. Humboldt had an answer to this: he took his emotional world just as seriously as his measuring instruments.
Justus der Rode, When he calls alone he is, Galerie Helder
Why do his ideas appeal to you?
Humboldt is considered the father of ecology, but he was also a romantic. Whereas, for example, Linnaeus was busy classifying and organising nature, Humboldt examined the whole and emphasised the importance of emotion and imagination in our view of nature. Without emotion, we would never truly understand it, he said. I think this is more relevant today than ever.
The series consists of cyanotypes, a 19th-century printing technique popular among botanists. Why did you choose this technique?
To show the other side of the story. The value of emotion and imagination in our view of nature isn’t as tangible as factual documentation and therefore almost forgotten. I want to show a counterbalance with the technique that was used for this documentation. I hope this perspective can serve as an antidote to alienation.
I think most people associate cyanotypes with the colour cyan (blue), but your prints are beige and brownish. Is that deliberate?
In line with the message I’m conveying with this series, I wanted to find a way to bring the work closer to nature. By bleaching the originally blue prints and then treating them with tannins, I give them an earthy character. It also gives me an extra opportunity to shape the work, since it's a rather delicate process full of variables. Finally, I think I simply identify more with the earth or the colour brown.
Justus der Rode, One is treated with the sight of the wild, Galerie Helder
Your previous series, Mycelium, revolved around walks in nature you took with your father after he developed dementia. Would you say that nature is the backdrop of your work?
Backdrop is a tricky word because it implies that we are not part of nature. It's precisely this human arrogance and alienation that I want to counter. But it’s true that in my work, a world unfolds in which we might feel connected to nature again.
You’re 27 now and at the beginning of your career. What do you hope to achieve in say the next five years?
I’m quite ambitious, I’m afraid. I don’t have a specific answer, but I want to be taken seriously within five years. I can’t promise that I’ll always stick to two-dimensional imagery either; I’d like to broaden my horizons in that respect. Maybe a post-academic programme would be a good step in that development.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently busy preparing for upcoming exhibitions. I think the rest of 2024 will be spent further expanding Views of Nature, which is still in its infancy. I also want to experiment with ways to directly involve nature in my work. I might even bury it.
Justus de Rode
