Last week I visited Jan Hoogervorst’s studio, where he has a modest presentation of works he made recently.
A studio presentation is usually less photogenic than a gallery presentation, so my camera had a bit of a bad time, but I was amazed by what I saw nevertheless.
Central to Hoogervorst’s present work is the idea that the human brain and will, let alone our other body functions, are not as free as we would like them to be.
As a consequence our choices and ideas are not as free as we pretend.
In his i-pad paintings, pencil drawings and woodcuts Hoogervorst is trying to make a kind of scans of that mechanism of un-freedom.
Technically they also seem to be inspired by that idea.
Hoogervorst uses all his technical skills as a draughtsman and graphic artist to improvise visions that could be revealing.
One might easily think the results would be sarcastic, but I don’t think they are, as Hoogervorst is obviously trying to steer clear of any moralizing.
The ideas become even more intricate in his interior drawings, where the human body reacts to its environment.
These works are multi-interpretable as you may see the perception of the protagonists of the space around them and the interpretation of the artist, as well as your own interpretation.
Jan Hoogervorst, i-pad painting, print
[Click on the pictures to enlarge]
Bertus Pieters
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