Terra 30! Duo Expo Tommi Toija & Marc Janssens April 9 – May 7, 2016
In honor of the 30-year anniversary of the gallery, Terra 30!, Terra is organizing duo exhibitions in which artists with a long association with the gallery are paired with artists whose work has not yet been displayed at Terra.
An article in the ceramics magazine Klei (March-April 2016) about the second duo exhibition in Terra was given the appropriate title Mirrorimages. On one hand, the two artists are each other’s mirror image in that they both show humans in all their powerlessness and vulnerability. On the other hand, their ceramic works hold up a mirror to us, the viewers.
Marc Janssens (Belgium) constructs the narrative in his sculptures with great attention to detail. He adorns his statues with materials such as wire, strips of linen, wood pulp, parts of recycled objects, and all sorts of knickknacks. These materials are of fundamental importance for his originality and contribute to the poetic expression of each creation.
Tommi Toija (Finland) was previously featured with Marc Janssens in the large group exhibition ‘Brandpunt Terra’ in the Old Church in Delft (2001). His figures are male or genderless, with large, endearing heads. Tommi, who calls himself a sculptor who uses ceramics, casts his outdoor pieces in bronze, which is more suited to the Finnish natural surroundings.
Both exhibitors show a contemporary ‘Everyman’ in a world of fantasy, humor and tenderness.
Etty Walda
Galerie Terra Delft