Jacco Olivier and Ronald Zuurmond are showing new work in the exhibition ‘Buitengaats’. The artists feel an affinity with each other in terms of their longing for a space, a world in which the viewer can disappear for awhile. Painting is the point of departure for their work.
Jacco Olivier produces videos based on his paintings. He films through the layers of paint. The images begin to move, and then all footing is lost.
Ronald Zuurmond remains true to the canvas by applying and then scraping away layer after layer of paint. His approach results in condensed images which have a natural appearance.
Jacco Olivier
Jacco Olivier was born in Goes (1972). He lives and works in Amsterdam. About his work he says: “I paint. While painting I photograph the painting’s various stages of development. Again and again, the original painting is painted over; it often vanishes entirely. Fortunately I still have the photographs. By looking at these photographs in succession on the computer, I can see the history of the painting. That allows me to see through the multiple strata of the painting, as it were. Frequently occurring throughout this process are coincidences that prove to be better than my original plans for the painting. I zoom in on these coincidences, situate them in a context and keep on developing them until there is clarity. That’s how a painted animation takes shape.”
Ronald Zuurmond
Ronald Zuurmond was born in The Hague (1964). He lives and works in Tilburg. “The idea of painting as a process is central to my work,” he explains. “Depictions and memories are merely pretexts for starting a work. A painting comes about through the scraping away and re-application of paint. The paint that has been scraped away gets mixed into this and yields unexpected colors. That ground, in turn, allows for new possibilities. An image of one failure after another takes shape, until something gradually begins to emerge and take its own direction. Through experimentation I develop this into a coherent image.”
special edition
For the exhibition, Jacco Olivier and Ronald Zuurmond have created a special edition (42 copies), comprised of six prints (50×70 cm) of works included in the publication. The price of this special edition, a folder containing the six prints, is € 800.
distillation ‘When in doubt keep going’
Date: 15th March 2015
in collaboration with: Chris Manders and Peter Henk Steenhuis
Chris Manders on doubt
“Doubt is elusive, indescribable,” Chris Manders says in his lecture. It’s not based on any terminology or concept. There is no alternative. An unnamable doubt, an indefinable doubt. And yet the sense that steps must be taken. Doubt is the impetus, the reason behind the search for the complete and balanced picture.”
Chris Manders is a critic of art- and architecture. He regularly writes for art catalogues and artists’ biographies, and was director of the art academy in Tilburg.
Peter Henk Steenhuis in conversation with the artists
“For a layman trying to avoid the wool being pulled over his eyes, Jacco Olivier’s statements on his work are tricky,” Peter Henk Steenhuis says. “Olivier, even better known internationally than within The Netherlands, often says he’s in search of coincidences. To what happens when ‘the paint begins to drip’. Yeah right, seeing what happens when the paint drips – I can do that, in fact, I can do better than look at it, I can do it.”
Writer-journalist Peter Henk Steenhuis enters a one-on-one debate with Jacco Olivier and Ronald Zuurmond.
Steenhuis is editor of philosophy for Trouw newspaper. He has published works on the linguistic development of his eldest son and about art and philosophy. His ‘Philosophy of looking’ (2009) and ‘Thinking about poetry’ (2011) were shortlisted for the Socrates Challenge Cup.
Screening ‘Nothing lasts forever’ by Tom Schiller
Science-fiction-comedy ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ by American director and writer Tom Schiller enjoys a cult status amongst directors and film enthusiasts. Just before the release date, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pulled out, but the film found its way and became a permanent influence on the history of film.
video portrait
publication
Off the harbour is an artist’s publication containing photographs that inspire the artists to create new images.
From the preface by Winnie Teschmacher: “Feeling the need to express something without knowing in advance where exactly you’ll end up. That, in my view, is one of the common factors that connects these two artists. With this publication we’re trying to show a little more of the imagery that lies at the foundation of both artists. Their choices have been influenced by the effect of the images. They are photographs and paintings selected with an element of chance, made to overlap and separated again, then (after several sessions) chosen definitively and placed in the right order. Every image can be a source of inspiration, a reason to create a new image. It’s been a beautiful process, in which the two have become closer to one another’s work and gained such a level of mutual trust, that they can no longer tell who brought in which work. It’s a Jacco-Ronald work. In this same way, they’ve grown into the exhibition together. A leap into each other’s world, resulting in a unique collaborative image.”
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articles (in Dutch)
Ik geef het toeval met opzet een kans – Peter Henk Steenhuis in Trouw