Philip Akkerman: New paintings    Dec 13 - Jan 17, 2008

About twenty-eight years ago, Philip Akkerman decided to dedicate himself exclusively to the production of self-portraits. Inspired by some of the Great Masters who have left to posterity paintings of their own features such as Albrecht Dürer, Van Gogh and Otto Dix, Akkerman creates images of himself that mirror the evolving conditions of his existence through changes of luck, health and the passing of time. In this manner, they do not only constitute a visual diary, they also do remind one of the certainty of death and decay. In its entirety, Akkerman’s ever-expanding oeuvre constitutes a momento mori.

Yet, there is more to Akkerman’s endeavour than the traditional ideas bound to the genre of self-portraiture in the realm of the Fine Arts. The utter coherence of Akkerman’s endeavour works so as to cancel the relevance of the very subject matter of his paintings. Because he only produces self-portraits, the very act of self-portraiture looses its original meaning. Traditionally, it is the principle of scarcity that endows self-portraiture with meaningfulness in terms of being a privileged medium to read about the artist’s state of being at a certain point in his or her life. In the case of Akkerman’s endeavour, it doesn’t matter any more what Akkerman depicts (which is invariably and predictably himself) but the way in which he does it. Therefore, regardless of its specific subject matter, Akkerman’s paintings allow him to focus on the material aspects of the process of painting.

Since 1981, Akkerman has investigated the wealth of painterly techniques that have paved the history of art since ancient times. Tempera, oil painting patiently layered or alla prima to only name a few, he has been eager to make use of all possible ways to work with paint. This also holds true for different styles and ways to apply paint to the surface of his small-scale wooden panels. From the use of abstract forms to the visual language of hyperrealism, Akkerman has not so much given an image of himself but a taste of the best of the age-old tradition of painting. In this manner, Akkerman’s ritual repetitions become the paragon of true originality.

Akkerman (1957) has exhibited widely and has received the Sandberg and the Piet Ouborg prizes in 1993 and 1999 respectively. This year Akkerman’s oeuvre has been the object of a survey show at the Painting biennial held at the Museum Dhondt Dhaenes in Deurle (Belgium). The exhibition showcased 250 of his works and attracted the media attention widely. His London show at Mummery+Schnelle sold out.

Philip Akkerman’s exhibition will be on show from the 13th of December 2008 through the 17th of January 2009 at TORCH Gallery in Amsterdam. Opening scheduled on Saturday the 13th of December from 4 to 6 p.m. Please take note that the gallery will be closed from the 25th of December through the 2nd of January.