Series: “Flowers in a vase” (Full Cycle)
Sand, pigment, superheavy gel medium on Belgium Linen
230×170 cm | 2022
Series: “Flowers in a vase” (So much darkness)
Sand, pigment, superheavy gel medium on Belgium Linen
230×170 cm | 2022
Series: “Flowers in a vase” (Dying Flowers)
Sand, pigment, superheavy gel medium on Belgium Linen
230×170 cm | 2022
Series: “Flowers in a vase” (Wilting is part of the natural cycle)
Sand, pigment, superheavy gel medium on Belgium Linen
230×170 cm | 2022
“ Flowers in a Vase ” consists of paintings made out of sand, and sculptures of pigment that analyzes and assimilate from the contemporary context vision, two iconic cultural elements from Dutch Golden Age Period : Rachel Ruysch’s still life flower paintings (The Hague, 1664 – Amsterdam, 1750) and 17th Century Royal Delft earthenware, in order to create works that defy the boundaries between sculpture and painting.
In terms of content of the works, I am motivated by a global movement that observes nature, its changing patterns, as well historical revision. The project aims to reflect the legacy and permanence of cultural heritage in antagonism to the representation of the ephemeral beauty of nature represented through flowers, either in process of bloom or wilting in a comment on the ephemeral nature of our existence, the dialogue between the strong and the fragile and the need for the care and legacy of our natural resources as well cultural heritage.
In these stressful times, with a pandemic that arrived but nobody knows when it will depart, in the middle of a global social chaos, which does not support the idea of permanence or eternity, there is an immeasurable need for hope and calm; this new project proposes a reinterpretation of Dutch cultural heritage and assumes a current position: creativity, adaptation, resilience and contemplation.
These works are commenting on life itself. Life is fleeting and ephemeral. It is subjected to time and time can either nourish or destroy life. Just as flowers grow, blossom, and die so do people, animals, and anything else living. Life has its distinct stages, and “Flowers in a Vase” series showcases them. These works also comment on the feelings surrounding death: longing, emptiness, sadness, grief, and loss. These are not happy paintings of pretty flowers. These are paintings exploring all the stages of life: happy and sad, growing and dying, past and future.