22 april 2026, Flor Linckens
Melissa Moria and Willemien Mostert in Galerie Helder: from organic pigments to folded canvases
Until 9 May, Galerie Helder in The Hague presents the exhibition ‘Colourations’, featuring work by Melissa Moria and Willemien Mostert. Two unconventional painting practices that emerge through action, yet depart from different starting points and techniques. Both artists give their works poetic titles and use colour as a central element.
The semi-abstract landscapes of Melissa Moria are often directly connected to her surroundings. For her most recent work, she spent time at the Rotterdamse Munt, a community garden where residents work and collaborate around topics like growth, care and the shared use of space. The roots, leaves, flowers and other organic materials she collected there form the basis of her paintings, in the form of self-made pigments. Fungi and onion skins also found their way into her canvases.
Her practice is notably labour-intensive and tactile. Linen is washed, boiled and steamed with natural dyes, after which paint is applied in layers. Transparent tones derived from natural pigments are combined with more saturated accents in oil paint. Moria’s painting process is intuitive and traces of movement remain visible in the final result. Her approach is defined by letting go: the work develops in interaction with material, time and environment. Conceptually, she engages with the fragility, beauty and changeability of nature, as well as the relationship between human beings and nature and the tension between natural processes and urbanisation. In doing so, she seeks to capture experiences, memories and impressions of a landscape.
On her website, Moria writes: “I work from the idea that not everything needs to be fixed or controlled. My practice creates conditions in which moments can be held without being frozen; through repetition, exposure and sustained attention. Rather than starting with an image, I begin with a process. Materials are allowed to resist, interrupt or redirect the work. What interests me is the moment when intention gives way to something less predictable, and how that moment can remain present in the final form.”
In addition to paintings, Moria also creates sculptures, site-specific installations, murals and socially engaged projects.
Melissa Moria was born in 1991 in Almere and currently lives and works in Rotterdam. She studied Business Administration at the Erasmus University but ultimately chose a career in the visual arts. Her work was recently shown at Art Rotterdam in the DHB Art Space, which was curated by Unity in Diversity. DHB Bank acquired her work for its corporate collection. In 2026, Moria starts a residency at Instituto Buena Bisto Curaçao.
In Willemien Mostert’s "Fold" series, the canvas takes on a different role as a starting point. For this body of work, the artist begins by folding, creasing and compressing the canvas, as if it were paper. The resulting folds determine the final light and dark contrasts and form the basis of the composition, even before paint is applied. Mostert then adds layers of colour using spray paint, which mix directly on the surface and follow the structure of the folds. Like Moria’s work, Mostert's practice engages with control and chance and is marked by a certain slowness. The process is partly guided, yet still leaves room for unpredictable outcomes.
The canvas is ultimately stretched tightly over an aluminium frame, allowing the earlier process to remain visible as a kind of memory within the image. Mostert’s practice is characterised by extensive material research and an interest in structures and patterns found in both natural and human systems. The paintings in the exhibition range from vivid, colourful compositions that seem to emit light to monochrome works in black, white and grey.
Willemien Mostert was born in Naaldwijk in 1982. She studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, followed by a master’s degree at the Frank Mohr Institute and an exchange programme at Hunter College and the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. The artist has a broad range of interests and also explored aesthetics, spiritual care and the philosophy of art. Her work has been shown at Pulchri, De Aanschouw, Nest and the Manhattan Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York.
