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Manuela Klerkx
'Everything that could be' in six works of art
As I strolled along the Amsterdam’s canals this morning, I listened to an interview with the Flemish poet, writer, playwright and co-curator of the 2021 edition of the Kunstenfestival Watou, Peter Verhelst (Bruges, 1962). Verhelst was interviewed on the occasion of being awarded the Constantijn Huygens Prize. He actually received the award for his 'breathtaking oeuvre' last year, but was only able to collect it yesterday. The jury awarded him this prestigious prize for his relentless search "for everything that could be."
In the radio interview for VPRO’s Nooit meer slapen, Verhelst compellingly tells how the paintings by Jan van Eijk, the poems by Hadewijch and the New Wave music from his youth sparked his imagination. Literature and the visual arts still play a major role in his work today. Verhelst's literature is characterized by the absence of a clear storyline and an extremely visual and sensory writing style - often based on existing fairy tales, fables and myths from antiquity - that transports you to a world in which fact and fiction coexist.
In 2018, as the first winner of the new Sybren Polet Prize for experimental, Dutch-language writers, the jury described Verhelst as 'a masterly oeuvre builder' and as 'the designer of a literary labyrinth that continues to grow in unity and diversity, in which one can wander endlessly, or take one of its many exits, but will never reach the final destination.'
The idea of art and literature without a narrative element or chronological passage of time, in which we can wander as if in a labyrinth, appeals to me very much.
In this collection, I look for works of art that evoke the same confusion or enigma. The interview with Peter Verhelst, in which he underlines the importance of what could be in contrast to what is, in mind…
* https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Verhelst
**Nooit meer slapen op NPO1 van zaterdag 22 januari 2022
In the radio interview for VPRO’s Nooit meer slapen, Verhelst compellingly tells how the paintings by Jan van Eijk, the poems by Hadewijch and the New Wave music from his youth sparked his imagination. Literature and the visual arts still play a major role in his work today. Verhelst's literature is characterized by the absence of a clear storyline and an extremely visual and sensory writing style - often based on existing fairy tales, fables and myths from antiquity - that transports you to a world in which fact and fiction coexist.
In 2018, as the first winner of the new Sybren Polet Prize for experimental, Dutch-language writers, the jury described Verhelst as 'a masterly oeuvre builder' and as 'the designer of a literary labyrinth that continues to grow in unity and diversity, in which one can wander endlessly, or take one of its many exits, but will never reach the final destination.'
The idea of art and literature without a narrative element or chronological passage of time, in which we can wander as if in a labyrinth, appeals to me very much.
In this collection, I look for works of art that evoke the same confusion or enigma. The interview with Peter Verhelst, in which he underlines the importance of what could be in contrast to what is, in mind…
* https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Verhelst
**Nooit meer slapen op NPO1 van zaterdag 22 januari 2022
0 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 1 Oeuvres disponibles
3 Spectacles ᛫ 9 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
Images versus words
The work 'Het Duel (The Duel)' by Dittmar Viane is a good example of a painting that illustrates how strong images can be. His work is reminiscent of that of the Flemish Primitives of the 15th and early 16th century: an artistic heyday characterized by a far-reaching refinement of the oil painting technique and the ambition to depict the visible world in as much detail as possible. This realism is also applied in religious imagery or iconography. Verhelst claims that creating an image is far more important than creating a story: a good image can create endless stories, while a story leaves little or no room for imagination. Viane's painting are in line with this statement. Both Verhelst and Viane share a great passion for the themes used by the Flemish Primitives, such as religion, clothing, landscapes and portraits. Viane's love for the painting of Hans Memling in particular, who lived in the 15th century, is reflected in his portraits with the detailed landscapes in the background.
(Everyday Gallery)
The work 'Het Duel (The Duel)' by Dittmar Viane is a good example of a painting that illustrates how strong images can be. His work is reminiscent of that of the Flemish Primitives of the 15th and early 16th century: an artistic heyday characterized by a far-reaching refinement of the oil painting technique and the ambition to depict the visible world in as much detail as possible. This realism is also applied in religious imagery or iconography. Verhelst claims that creating an image is far more important than creating a story: a good image can create endless stories, while a story leaves little or no room for imagination. Viane's painting are in line with this statement. Both Verhelst and Viane share a great passion for the themes used by the Flemish Primitives, such as religion, clothing, landscapes and portraits. Viane's love for the painting of Hans Memling in particular, who lived in the 15th century, is reflected in his portraits with the detailed landscapes in the background.
(Everyday Gallery)
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2 Spectacles ᛫ 0 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
Light
Dutch photographer Richard Westerhuis (1965) portrays the concept of domesticity in his enigmatic photo series This is the poem I promised you. The rooms are empty, there is no sign of life and yet you get the feeling that something is going on, that something crazy has happened. The story is missing, but there is a situation that stimulates the imagination. Sometimes the room is empty and drenched in a warm yellow; then again the room is lit blue and there are traces of life, of children playing, family members dining. There is not one reality, the artist seems to say. There is not one story, but there are countless, to be conceived and experienced. And the meaning-carrying role of light is of vital importance. Just like in Verhelst's sensory novella 'Body', a book about the lockdown and the question of what loneliness does to a person and yes, the desire for light with it.
(Arwe Gallery)
Dutch photographer Richard Westerhuis (1965) portrays the concept of domesticity in his enigmatic photo series This is the poem I promised you. The rooms are empty, there is no sign of life and yet you get the feeling that something is going on, that something crazy has happened. The story is missing, but there is a situation that stimulates the imagination. Sometimes the room is empty and drenched in a warm yellow; then again the room is lit blue and there are traces of life, of children playing, family members dining. There is not one reality, the artist seems to say. There is not one story, but there are countless, to be conceived and experienced. And the meaning-carrying role of light is of vital importance. Just like in Verhelst's sensory novella 'Body', a book about the lockdown and the question of what loneliness does to a person and yes, the desire for light with it.
(Arwe Gallery)
Peter Lindbergh
0 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 27 Oeuvres disponibles
0 Spectacles ᛫ 1 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
Memories
In 2018, Peter Verhelst's mother passed away completely unexpectedly. Months later, he began writing Voor het vergeten. A book that is not so much about his mother or about death, but rather is a passionate ode to 'our faltering, groping resistance to meaninglessness and sadness. Verhelst tries to create something vital; something we can remember forever. To finally be able to forget.
Just like in Verhelst's novels, Peter Lindbergh's photography is all about looking, looking, looking. He looked for beauty and meaning in a detail, in something spontaneous that will stay with you for a lifetime. Like a pair of white pumps, left behind on the beach. You make up the story. Just like with Verhelst.
* Flaptekst van de roman ‘Voor het vergeten’, Peter Verhelst
(Geukens & De Vil)
In 2018, Peter Verhelst's mother passed away completely unexpectedly. Months later, he began writing Voor het vergeten. A book that is not so much about his mother or about death, but rather is a passionate ode to 'our faltering, groping resistance to meaninglessness and sadness. Verhelst tries to create something vital; something we can remember forever. To finally be able to forget.
What can you do but look, look again, look better, feel with your eyes,
smell and listen and taste with your eyes, every detail, every shade,
every curve, every cell, in every cell, hoping never to forget,
hoping not to be lost, to be able to keep with you forever –
If only I had looked more closely, every detail, every beloved detail, every…
smell and listen and taste with your eyes, every detail, every shade,
every curve, every cell, in every cell, hoping never to forget,
hoping not to be lost, to be able to keep with you forever –
If only I had looked more closely, every detail, every beloved detail, every…
Peter Verhelst
Just like in Verhelst's novels, Peter Lindbergh's photography is all about looking, looking, looking. He looked for beauty and meaning in a detail, in something spontaneous that will stay with you for a lifetime. Like a pair of white pumps, left behind on the beach. You make up the story. Just like with Verhelst.
* Flaptekst van de roman ‘Voor het vergeten’, Peter Verhelst
(Geukens & De Vil)
3 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 22 Oeuvres disponibles
6 Spectacles ᛫ 0 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
The natural versus the artificial
Magali Reus (1981) produces installations in which she establishes a connection between the human body and objects she has assembled herself. As part of a physical presentation that far exceeds the original meaning of the individual parts, Reus examines, takes out of context and magnifies objects such as chairs, curbs, padlocks and refrigerators. Colours, natural materials such as leather and textures are also used to confuse existing associations and to challenge the viewer to search for new meanings. As in Verhelst's oeuvre, mysticism, physicality and the lack of a storyline or other form of logic play a major role in Reus's work. Both are interested in the mystery behind things we normally don't think about and both bridge nature and culture, the logical and the enigmatic.
(Galerie Fons Welters)
Magali Reus (1981) produces installations in which she establishes a connection between the human body and objects she has assembled herself. As part of a physical presentation that far exceeds the original meaning of the individual parts, Reus examines, takes out of context and magnifies objects such as chairs, curbs, padlocks and refrigerators. Colours, natural materials such as leather and textures are also used to confuse existing associations and to challenge the viewer to search for new meanings. As in Verhelst's oeuvre, mysticism, physicality and the lack of a storyline or other form of logic play a major role in Reus's work. Both are interested in the mystery behind things we normally don't think about and both bridge nature and culture, the logical and the enigmatic.
(Galerie Fons Welters)
Valentina Gal
2 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 3 Oeuvres disponibles
1 Spectacles ᛫ 3 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
Hyperrealism
Valentina Gal (1994) examines how humanity can position itself in a time and world in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is 'real' and what belongs to the distorted hyper-reality and the manipulated world of fake news and selfies. Gal conducts extensive research into subcultures that often remain hidden from the general public. In this way she created her own fursona: a physical or virtual alter ego in the form of an anthropomorphic animal. By combining techniques such as deepfake and digital animation with a seductive visual language and elements full of (art)historical significance, Gal creates worlds that are so hyper-realistic it is almost scary. It reminds me of the book 'Body' by Peter Verhelst in which a disturbed reality that is formed by a protagonist who finds bodies in an empty building that is slowly being overgrown by nature. Both with Gal and Verhelst you sense that something unreal is going on that particularly touches the senses. There is no narrative, but an alienating world in which we ourselves are a part and everyone can tell his or her own hyper-realistic - more real - story.
(Galerie Franzis Engels)
Valentina Gal (1994) examines how humanity can position itself in a time and world in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is 'real' and what belongs to the distorted hyper-reality and the manipulated world of fake news and selfies. Gal conducts extensive research into subcultures that often remain hidden from the general public. In this way she created her own fursona: a physical or virtual alter ego in the form of an anthropomorphic animal. By combining techniques such as deepfake and digital animation with a seductive visual language and elements full of (art)historical significance, Gal creates worlds that are so hyper-realistic it is almost scary. It reminds me of the book 'Body' by Peter Verhelst in which a disturbed reality that is formed by a protagonist who finds bodies in an empty building that is slowly being overgrown by nature. Both with Gal and Verhelst you sense that something unreal is going on that particularly touches the senses. There is no narrative, but an alienating world in which we ourselves are a part and everyone can tell his or her own hyper-realistic - more real - story.
(Galerie Franzis Engels)