The year will be brought to a close with exciting work from JP Hol. He expresses the seriousness of his subject in a light-hearted, playful manner.
As an artist, his first point of departure is an idea, not the material. His work is based on the human paradox: the individual in the group, the forlornness that you can feel even as part of that group, and the loneliness of human existence. Some related overlapping themes are the invisible things, the shadows, that which remains unsaid between members of the group and to outsiders, dystopia, and disneyfication..
In 2016 JP was invited by Galerie Terra to work in porcelain in Sanbao, China, an experience which partly resulted in the work that will be shown in this exhibition. It was a challenge for him to concentrate on just one kind of material, but it was in his blood: he added plastic, fabric, paper, paint, and metal. The exhibition consists of a series of porcelain vases, bowls, tea sets, flowers, boxes, and supporting pieces such as small tables and pedestals. They all represent the shadows and their shrines.
There are also a number of porcelain mirrors, complete with matching candlesticks to help one search for the shadows and give them a visage. A mobile made of branches and decorative balls glazed with silver lustre represent the constantly changing shadows in their own universe.
An adapted version of this exhibition was also shown in Studio J, Osaka, Japan, in May 2017.
Etty Walda
