Exhibition by Sandra Bourquin & Jan Bourquin
30 Nov – 08 Dec 2024
Opening hours: 12h – 19h and by appointment
Sandra Bourquin develops her own formal language in her abstract woven pictures. In her reinterpretation of traditional craftsmanship – weaving is one of the oldest textile techniques – she expands the two-dimensional surface by further layers, which transform the works into reliefs with a three-dimensional, sometimes sculptural quality. Her pieces, monochrome or vibrantly coloured, move between geometric works and curved shapes that dissolve the strictness of form. In her choice of materials and their materiality, the artist breaks away from the classic canon and uses blades of grass as well as the finest yarns. As the plant material withers, the compositions undergo a natural process of change. This slow decay of the grass adds an organic level to the works that follows its own laws. The rural surroundings of the Alentejo with its natural materials, colours and incomparable light serve as a source of inspiration for Sandra Bourquin.
Jan Bourquin’s artistic work is characterised by his exploration of the perspective, his play with two- and three-dimensional representations and his interest in the viewer’s point of view and the associated perception by the recipient.
For the in sito work “Braço a Braço”, Jan Bourquin integrates the existing gallery room and deals with the interaction of surface and spatiality. Through the technique of anamorphosis, the reshaping, which can be traced back to the 17th century in art history terms, the visitors themselves become a decisive part of the work. The form can only be perceived in its original shape from a certain angle determined by Bourquin. As soon as the recipients move through the room, there is a shift in perspective that leads to a change in the original form. The audience actively engages in the field of tension between spatiality and surface and shapes the work through self-chosen points of perception. The woven pictures by Sandra Bourquin follow the coloured fields and continue the form. The pieces of the two artists enter into a mutually stimulating connection and unite to create an overall impression. This collaboration, the arm in arm, the encounter of the works, condenses on the wall in the meeting of the colour fields in a tender kiss.
O INÍCIO is the first joint exhibition of Sandra and Jan Bourquin.
