In de groeven van mijn hand
duo residence and exposition with Hazel van Berkel
Imagine yourself floating in the middle of a calm lake. Your nose just above the waterline. From here, the surface seems endless. The trees around the lake tower above you, almost touching the clouds.
Funny how such a small difference in viewpoint changes everything around you.
‘In de groeven van mijn hand’ holds much to discover. The exhibition merges the tiniest inner world with an infinite horizon. It invites you to look anew. Beyond any self-imposed boundaries. Mystic Wayfinders point inward and toward one another. Safely tucked away below the staircase, an old soul marvels with the innocence of a child. The lines in the palm of your hand reflect the ripples on the water. From there, fascination spills over. Within your own inner world, even the smallest ripple can become as vast as the cosmos.
In ‘In de groeven van mijn hand’, artists Hazel van Berkel and Robin Janmaat invite you to explore this world. Inspired by folklore, mystical wayfinders, and many of the small things we often overlook, they explore how perspectives can shift and flip the closer you get to the surface. From here, the distance to the horizon seems a world apart. But once you get close, the boundaries begin to blur again and again.
The artworks question the differences between human and animalist behaviour and beliefs. Small and big worlds are contrasted and connected.
Als de rivier haar stenen wiegt
Performance with Hazel van Berkel and Thijsje Laan
The three artists slowly walk trough the exposition room, each portraying an essential task of the river. One laying the raw pieces of clay resembling the stones, one shaping the stones genlty smooth, resembling the water changing the stones, and one taking the stones with her, resembling the act of movement.
Glimpse of what's to come
residence and exposition at Extrapool with five other artists.
During her two weeks stay in Nijmegen, Robin was fascinated by the still environment of the nature reserve close by. That's where she started to take photographs that eventually inspired her to make a sculpture of the dipsacus fullonum, a plant she often encountered during her walks, often planted in gardens to attract birds. While walking in the reserve she stumbled upon a lot of dead birds, each laying in their own heroic way. This inspired her to build a set, containing an altar for all the death birds, where not only the birds can be remembered, but also intergrade into the human world.
Wandelende Tak
A world where memories, dreams, and stories all flow into one another. In her film ‘Wandelende Tak’ (Walking Branch), Robin Janmaat takes you into a world full of wonder, a place where fiction merges into fantasy. The images tell a story in which a traveler wanders through various landscapes and encounters all kinds of extraordinary creatures. Together with her, we go on a journey of discovery and arrive at a collection of objects, such as buttons, a key, and gloves.
In her thesis ‘De Werkelijkheid Voorbij’ (Beyond Reality), Robin explores that film can also be an experience. in her graduation exposition she does not only want the viewer to watch the film, but also to provide an experience that completely surrounds the viewer. All objects standing in the space can be found in the film. In this way, she creates a feeling similar to the one experienced by the traveler.
By combining various techniques, a playful and experimental atmosphere emerges in the images.The film features animations, ceramic props, filmed footage and textile costumes and masks. All these techniques together form an alienated world, in which she wants to take the viewer on a journey. Walk along through nature and surround yourself in a story about wandering, meeting, and collecting.
