Selected Past Exhibitions

JARIK JONGMAN & DEMIAK: SANCTUARY

JARIK JONGMAN & DEMIAK: SANCTUARY Suzanne Biederberg is pleased to announce a joint exhibition of two new gallery artists, Jarik Jongman and Demiak, who, in their work, share an interest in the transience of our existence and of the structures within which we seek shelter and security. Jongman is a former studio assistant to Anselm Kiefer, which may partially explain his interest in history, transformation and metaphysics, themes which often recur in his paintings. He takes his inspiration from old photographs and images found on internet or at flea markets. In his series "Phenomena," he depicts (mid-20th century-style) motel rooms, by definition spaces of temporary occupancy. Devoid of human presence, some rooms are suffused with the glow from ghostly clouds or flickering lights, often associated with fleeting paranormal activity. An air of mystery also informs his series, "Hello-Goodbye" which shows figures blurred as if moving too quickly to be registered, as another metaphor for our impermanence. Demiak (Maarten Demmink) takes a different approach to the meaning of shelters with his three dimensional wall and freestanding sculptures in the shape of small, uninhabitable dwellings. These seemingly dilapidated buildings are partially inspired by his longstanding fascination with the American Deep South in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters. They are built from found materials such as scrap wood from old signboards advertising defunct businesses or bygone products. It is not clear whether the structures are damaged, derelict or were never completed. As in Jongman's paintings, Demiak's objects exude an atmosphere of desertion, neglect and melancholy. At the same time their work challenges, seduces and confronts us. Both artists continue to exhibit internationally and live and work in the Netherlands and abroad