Sarah van Sonsbeeck
MISTAKES I’VE MADE
Annet Gelink Gallery proudly presents
Mistakes I’ve Made
,
the first solo exhibition of Sarah van Sonsbeeck at the gal
lery. The exhibition shows Van Sonsbeeck settling into her
identity as an artist, displaying the themes central to her
work: silence, the exploration and appropriation of space,
the use of gold, and the seeking of a private environment.
Space, and in particular the private experience of space, is
central to Van Sonsbeeck’s work. Van Sonsbeeck, a former
architect, plays with the meaning and notion of space. The
concept of sound as a marker of territory is central to her
practice, taking silence (which she has called ‘anti-sound’) as
a building block of private space. Through her practice, she
makes apparent how our private world is encroached upon
by the outside space, resulting in claustrophobic, negative
experiences. Furthermore, Van Sonbeeck
underlines the importance of privacy and silence as a refuge from these disruptive outside stresses.
Mistake’s I’ve made
sees Van Sonsbeeck pairing found objects and basic materials with the ultimate sign
of luxury, wealth and status, namely gold in the form of gold leaf. Visitors entering the show are confronted
by the work
Kamyon Gelecek
(2011-2013). This ladder forms a re-appropriation of an object seen by the
artist during her residency in Istanbul. A carpenter made it in an attempt to keep cars from parking in front
of his carpentry shop, placing nonsensical signs on it and occupying the (visual) space of the artist’s studio.
For
Mistake’s I’ve made
the artist decided to copy this street appropriation object and add the text ‘Tren
Gelecek’ (Train Will Come) and Ucak Gelecek’ (Plane will come) in an ongoing range of ‘personal insanity’.
Van Sonsbeeck continues the theme of space in a broader way with
Mistakes I’ve Made
(2013), mimicking the “accidental creation” (a term borrowed from Bill Bryson) of the universe. Using an existing
work she was unhappy with and gold leaf debris, which are strewn into faraday paint (blocking electro
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magnetic signals), Van Sonsbeeck takes the theme of space to its outer edge, re-creating the universe.
Also installed in the main space,
Dust
(2013) is made up out of tiny slivers of gold leaf blown into
the air, creating a fine haze of gold that attaches itself to visitors and the architecture of the gallery. Ul
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timately, Van Sonsbeeck thus again creates a new universe, one in which art transcends the con
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strictions of the monetary system, of space and of the traditional notions of artistic Expression.
Sarah van Sonsbeeck
(1976, Utrecht, NL) studied architecture at TUDelft (MA) and art at the Gerrit Ri
etveld Academie (BA). In 2008-2009, she did her residency at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten
(Amsterdam). In 2012, she won the Theodora Niemeijer Prize and was nominated for the Volkskrant Fine
Art Prize. Her work has been shown at Museum De Paviljoens (Almere), the Van Abbemuseum (Eindhoven),
Den Hallen (Haarlem), Annet Gelink Gallery (Amsterdam), the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) and Museum
Abteiberg (Mönchengladbach), amongst others