Casual Ambience [Paul Smith Store]

ROBERT VELLEKOOP

Exhibition duration
4. November 2022 – 15. January 2023

Paul Smith Store
Hohe Bleichen 15
20354 Hamburg

Streets, highway intersections, factory buildings, magically glowing lanterns, desert plants, an arrangement of bottles on a table, and again and again nocturnal scenes. The motifs in the paintings of Hamburg artist Robert Vellekoop have a cinematic effect: on the one hand, they trigger possible narratives, on the other, they harbor plenty of secrets and refuse to be read too clearly.

The omnipresence of artificial light sources placed with great accuracy in the pictorial space is striking. Motifs in daylight alternate with nocturnal scenes illuminated by artificial light. Empty streets and landscapes are lined with yellow, orange, or pink lanterns that spread a mild, unobtrusive glow of light. The light here becomes almost material, as a corona always forms around the light sources, a circular light effect created by the reflection or refraction of light on small particles suspended in the air, such as water droplets, ice crystals, or desert dust.

In addition to their formal elegance, Robert Vellekoop's pictures therefore also negotiate social themes beneath the surface, such as the question of the determinism that emanates from planned and built structures.

Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas (Excerpt from Towerland Catalog)