Artists
Henri van Noordenburg
Foreigner (2011)
Throughout my artistic career the focus has been on the question of belonging, not only our sense of belonging to a place in indigenous terms, but also the effect upon the natural environment of a global shift of living patterns from rural-based to an urban-based human population. Equally is this work about the Diaspora of human kind, whether this is caused by natural disasters or human injustice like oppression related to religion, race, gender or sexuality, the work is in search for a modern Utopia.
The work highlights the emotions of the foreigner and our composure as we attempt to assimilate within the dominant culture. The overall composure of the protagonist is gentle or passive, and at times this mood is contrasted by intense strain, highlighting the condemnation of the foreign. The sombre colouring further reinforces this condemnation, as oppressive monotone greys and blacks are dominant beside the naked body and skin tones. While the image may translate into a landscape, the essence is about what is added, altered, or removed. By scraping back the layers I hope to highlight not only the foreigner or its composure, but also the concept of memory and cultural belonging.
These etchings pay homage to artists working within the Symbolism genre, as well as early Dutch landscape artists. The photographic element is inspired by allegory themes with strong references to Renaissance painting and sculpture. The male figure sometimes appears integrated into the landscape, while other times alienated from his surroundings, metaphorically questioning the preconceptions concerning issues of contemporary displacement.
The diversity of the landscape considers the effects of colonisation, challenging a different perspective on our local natural environment and raises the question of belonging. In this case it emphasizes the beauty of cultural diversity, where in an ideal world, all people, flora and fauna can grow equally.
(dis) place (2010)
According to Greet Mak (Dutch Writer and researcher), “in 1960 two third of the world population lived in the rural areas and in 2020 two third of the world population will live in the cities” (2005). The consequences of this shift have as much impact as the transition period from hunters to sedentary people approximately twelve thousand years ago. This means a radical change from traditional life, an uprooting of culture, a Diaspora.
My previous work questioned the concept Diaspora and the physical home. This body of work is about ‘Something More’ than first seen. While the image may translate into a landscape, or interior, the essence is about what is added or removed. By scraping back the layers I hope to highlight not only the placement or displacement, but also the concept of memory and cultural belonging.
Scalpel knife drawings of the nude male figure are added to the works, using my own body as inspiration. The inclusion of these nude images gives on one hand a celebration of life in its physical form, its shapes, softness, curves and masculine angular lines. On the other hand it places the emphasis on the vulnerability of a naked body in a foreign landscape, metaphorically referencing displacement within society.
