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14 march 2024, Flor Linckens

The iron rhythms of Michael Jacklin

een keuze uit het oeuvre, Galerie Ramakers

Until 31 March, Galerie Ramakers in The Hague is presenting a solo exhibition of Dutch artist Michael Jacklin, in collaboration with Slewe Galerie. Jacklin exclusively employs iron for his abstract practice, drawing inspiration from iron constructions in bridges and architecture. The resulting sculptures and grid-like structures often have their foundation in two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.

Jacklin pays significant attention to the materiality of iron — such as its strength, malleability, texture, mass and gravity — as well as its possibilities and limitations. The sculptor meticulously cuts, bends and welds industrial narrow plates and rods of iron into spatial structures. While his practice is visually nourished by the minimalist imagery of artists like Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt, his execution diverges markedly. Unlike those artists, who often delegated the creation of their works to others, Jacklin places great value on the hands-on fabrication of his balanced works, allowing room for intuitive expression.

Michael Jacklin, Dance of the Particles I, 2015, Galerie Ramakers

Upon entering Galerie Ramakers, your attention is immediately captured by three imposing grid structures occupying the space. These open, rectangular frames are interspersed with sculptural works comprised of interwoven metal circles and lines. These smaller works appear more organic, resembling cell structures or elementary particles, and contrast with the strict organisation of the grid works. Jacklin's open metal sculptures are marked by a visual lightness and transform with changes in light and viewer perspective. The most chaotic piece in the exhibition, "After the storm" from 1993, features numerous interlocking black metal lines, visibly contrasting with the meticulous orderliness of the other exhibited works.

Jacklin's deep-seated fascination with nature, urban landscapes and science profoundly influences his work. The titles of his abstract works often reveal his sources of inspiration, with titles like "Dance of the Particles I", "Cityscape", "Private Galaxy" and "O's and Zero’s". "Since living in the city, I've drawn my inspiration primarily from rhythms in architecture," he told the AkzoNobel Art Foundation. Jacklin initially worked on semi-abstract pieces before dedicating himself entirely to abstract art. Galerie Ramakers displays works from various periods, from the early nineties to recent work.

Michael Jacklin, After the storm, 1993, Galerie Ramakers

Michael Jacklin was born in 1956 and studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, followed by a period at Ateliers '63 in Haarlem. His work has been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum, the Zentrum für Kunst und Medien in Karlsruhe and during ARTZUID 2017, in a selection curated by Rudi Fuchs. Pieces from his oeuvre are included in various collections, including those of the Stedelijk Museum, Museum Voorlinden, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, the AkzoNobel Art Foundation and LUMC Leiden. Additionally, he has created various commissioned works that often find their way into public spaces, such as on the facade of the magistrate's court on the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam.

The solo exhibition 'A Selection from the Oeuvre' of Michael Jacklin will be on view at Galerie Ramakers in The Hague until 31 March 2024.

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Flor Linckens

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14 march 2024, Flor Linckens

The iron rhythms of Michael Jacklin

Actuele tentoonstellingen