Johnny Theodorus Wiekhart
youngblood expoHKU Utrecht
I distillate tactile experiences in an attempt to position myself in a constantly changing reality.
In this society where everything is possible and within reach because of the internet, a digital shadow becomes one’s identity. Because of this surreal wonderland I feel the irresistible urge to connect to all that’s tactile. With my work I counter the distant way the internet makes me feel to the world around me. By isolating the unique qualities of a material in an abstraction, the way a work has been made is not immediately readable. An active approach is provoked where curiosity makes the spectator aware of themselves in relation to the work.
By adding the third dimension to a painting, the shaped canvas becomes a symbiosis between painting and sculpture.
By removing the shaped canvas from the wall it becomes a freestanding object.
By adding movement from within the work a constantly changing image can be created.
In my most recent work, I added time; a clockwise 360 degrees turning black latex sphere covered in painters oil. The work turns a full circle in one minute. Because of this slow speed and the high viscosity of the oil, the liquid will evenly spread. This makes the latex an even more infinite black, slowly deforming the reflections of the space around it.
This work embodies the uncontrollable urge to reinvent the whole form to create an even more sensory experience.