In exhibition 'Traces of You' Merel Jansen and Dion Rosina show oil paintings that derive their appearance from different visual material and artworks. Their collage-like working method shows that they stand in a long tradition of portraiture. As in Hip Hop, collages and the 1980s art movement sampling they quote and reuse images. For example, Jansen makes reinterpretations of altarpieces featuring ordinary people and Rosina creates work based on collages of found black and white photographs.
Merel Jansen (1990) elevates ordinary people to saints in her work. She portrays models, including undocumented people, in the form of classical altarpieces. In this way, Jansen places people at the center of her work who are often invisible in our society. 10% of the proceeds of these works are donated to the foundation De huiskamer voor vluchtelingen in Eindhoven, a meeting place where refugees can relax and focus on the future. Previously, Jansen painted a reinterpretation of the Lamb of God. She replaced the saints with Ostend bathers.
Dion Rosina (1991) makes oil paintings based on images he finds. He collects and edits, makes collages and paints this in a realistic way. He deals with various subjects such as alienation, the African diaspora, representation and history. His work balances between figurative and abstract. By cutting off and zooming in, he responds to existing visual culture. Rosina: "I can be fascinated by a gaze of someone. I feel urgency to make an image my own'.