Arie Hellendoorn
Author: Sophie Keyse
"Are we ecosystems in ourselves?”
Arie Hellendoorn’s
current exhibition at CEAC , Each Working Head Imprisons the Legitimate,
explores the loaded form of the figure and questions what components make up a
human body. Hellendoorn removes the familiar signposting in these paintings,
letting colour, texture and pattern act as visual cues to understanding. All physical features have been
decreased in relative importance to the thought processes which define the
painted identity in gentle patching.
Each of the five paintings in the exhibition challenge our expectations of
a portrait/representations of the human figure, causing the viewer to
reconsider what constitutes a human body and whether this is restricted to
physical elements or extends to the interior and metaphysical aspects of a
person: “Should we include thought processes? Should we include the bacteria which promote healthy
function but are not strictly part of us?
Are we ecosystems in ourselves?”
Originally from Holland, Hellendoorn
attended high school in Wellington and went on to complete a Fine Arts degree
at Massey University, majoring in painting and sculpture. His medium of choice at present is
paint, however he often uses photography to generate drawings and explore
ideas. Arie has also experimented
with video and live performance with the incorporation of found objects. With
his formal art background, Hellendoorn’s artistic influences are vast, ranging
from New Zealand painter Tony de Lautour to international artists George Condo,
Dawn Mellor and Lisa Yuskavage. Each
of these artists produces slightly off-putting, eerie artworks that unsettle
the viewer in their reinterpretation of established symbols and
compositions. Perhaps it is this
uneasy vibe which has led Hellendoorn to presently explore the process of
sampling and constructing paintings from found images located in books,
photographs and the internet.
Within these images Hellendoorn creates compositions which incorporate
his own painted language, creating a confrontation between the original meaning
of the found images and their new context. As a result, the paintings themselves as objects/surfaces become
meaningless and it is up to the viewer to imbue the paintings with meaning,
which will inevitably change over time with its audience and its context. Hellendoorn has maintained an interest
in involving the viewer in the interpretation and development of meaning in his
artworks throughout his artistic career, and encourages spectators to form
their understanding using their own associations to colour, shape, subject and
context. This is particularly
pertinent to Each Working Head Imprisons the Legitimate as the artist hopes the
image will instigate viewers to start questioning where the human form ends as
he believes it is incredibly fluid.
Next up for Arie is a solo exhibition at
Suite gallery in Wellington later this year, as well as participation in the
group show Never Mind the Pollocks at St Paul St Gallery Three. You can visit Arie’s website here:
www.ariehellendoorn.com
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