In Echoes of Nature, the work of Bas Meeuws enters into a dialogue with that of Wietske van Leeuwen and Tomas Hillebrand. The exhibition brings together three artists who, each in their own way, depart from nature, not as a direct representation, but as a carrier of meaning, memory, and imagination.
In the work of Bas Meeuws, shells and other objects appear alongside flowers as subtle, symbolic elements. They function as quiet bearers of meaning and enhance the layered nature of the image. In contrast, these organic forms take center stage in the work of Wietske van Leeuwen. She uses shells and natural objects as a starting point for casting and assembling them into ceramic three-dimensional assemblages. Where the object in Meeuws’ work is part of the visual language, in Van Leeuwen’s practice it becomes material, form, and autonomous object all at once.
Tomas Hillebrand strives for perfection. Romanticism is an important source of inspiration for his work. Feeling, imagination, and the irrational play a central role, acting as a counterbalance to the rational world in which we live. In his glass sculptures, Hillebrand creates silent, imaginary landscapes that do not depict a specific place so much as evoke an inner experience.
This approach resonates with the work of Bas Meeuws. He, too, does not seek a literal representation of reality, but rather a concentrated form of beauty. Where Hillebrand suggests a utopian world through glass, Meeuws does so with flowers, light, and composition. In the oeuvre of Bas Meeuws, Tomas Hillebrand, and Wietske van Leeuwen, the focus is on stillness, attention, and an idealized image of nature, not as it is, but as it is felt and remembered.