Drippings and Constructions, Jan Swart, Clare Hall, 20 October - 7 December 2016

This is

An exhibition about discovery

Showing art without titles.

With only black ink and white paper

An exhibition that has its own visual language with an emphasis on its materiality

Important elements in the genesis of the image

That leaves it to the imagination of the viewer

As it needs its viewer to come into being

Without the use of colour

Just with black and white

No words, just images

Which you have to look at

To see what happens

Interpretation

Is there no control?

Yes, of course there is

The artist chooses the material: the kind of paper, the sort of ink

With those elements he creates the image

Which means in this case: blowing ink with his mouth, scraping ink with a piece of paper or adding more black

Producing lines, connecting shapes, or not

The artist applies

The material takes in

Thus an image takes shape

There is a close collaboration, a playing together or even better, playing against each other

As in a game of chess

Every move leads to another move, which leads to a new amended image

Which leads to a reaction by the artist who will make yet another move

It shapes an image that gradually rises in the framework, the edges of the paper

The area around the image is just as important as the drawing itself

The posture, the position of the framework creates movement

A line or a shape runs to the edge, or not

It creates excitement

Evokes emotion

And this emotion is the core

The expressiveness of the image

It has to touch us, which can only be achieved if the work lives

And it can only live if it holds imperfections

This imperfection, recognized during its creation, becomes part of the image

A line does not continue in straight perfection

A shape is either to long or to wide

And you respond by creating a new balance

A balance that was not planned nor prepared

New and unforeseen spaces and perspectives emerge

Your own images, your own worlds