14 july 2023, Flor Linckens
Last chance: Abstraction and photographic realism in Galerie Helder
Until 22 July, Galerie Helder in The Hague is presenting a group exhibition with mostly recent work by four artists: Andrés Gallego, Philippe van Gele, Sanne Terweij and Bas Wiegmink.
The works of the Dutch artist Sanne Terweij consist of reflective materials including copper, brass and aluminum, which she expertly oxidizes. Verweij: "Isn't it interesting that by using something that we think usually decreases the value of a material, it's ageing and oxidation, you can also create something more beautiful and maybe even of more worth? Makes me re-think our perspective on value." Verweij was trained as a goldsmith and decorative painter and is interested in subjects such as transition, ephemerality and the emotional influence that nature can have on your emotions. Her practice relies heavily on experimentation, material research and in particular patina/aging techniques. The artist is fascinated by colour and texture, as well as the history of pigments and alchemy. Her practice also involves a certain amount of chance.
Sanne Terweij, Colour Fade Teal, 2023, Galerie Helder
The Belgian artist Philippe Van Gele also works in the abstract tradition and his works function as an experiment as well. He is always in search of the possibilities of colour and texture. But the resulting paintings are completely different, his work is more about energy and associations and is marked by fantasy and a lyrical expressionism. His paintings exude an almost uncontrollable energy and are an expression of his longing for the unknown. He is inspired by distant landscapes that have an almost otherworldly quality, such as Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago on the edge of the North Pole, or Bromo, on the island of Java. He hopes that viewers will project their own emotions and interpretations onto his work.
Philippe van Gele, Los Testigos, 2023, Galerie Helder
In the work of Bas Wiegmink, a Dutch painter, the viewer is taken to a world in which the power of nature and humanity merge. In doing so, he interweaves nature and abstract forms. Each painting forms a symbiosis of cinematic scenes and exuberant flora. His colour palette, occasionally fluorescent, breathes new life into this world. The desolate urban landscape and the thriving, overpowering nature reveal the ambiguity of our reality. However, instead of melancholy, Wiegmink celebrates the resilience of life, inspired by both human ambition and nature's imperturbable survival instinct.
Bas Wiegmink, Tribal Bark, 2023, Galerie Helder
In the exhibition, you can also view work by the Spanish photographer Andrés Gallego, who works in a more figurative way. His "Hopper Essence" series brings us closer to the work of American artist Edward Hopper, capturing his views and scenes in a mix of photography and acrylic paint — while still retaining the paradox of subjective interpretation and objective impression. To obtain this result, Gallego reproduces the scenography in life-size and for the views from the window he makes precise paintings in acrylic on canvas. The protagonist, as in Hopper's works, is the artist's wife. It is interesting to note that some of Hopper's works originated in photographs that he took — and now, they are reverted to photographs in a new way. Interestingly enough, Hopper believed that photographs suggest a completely different reality than that of the human eye. In the end, Gallego's work raises questions about the relationship between photography and painting, and about the convergence of these different art forms.
Andrés Gallego, Morning Sun, 2023, Galerie Helder
