NEWS
Taipei Lantern Festival
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My work is part of the traditional Taipei Lantern Festival 2022. Opening 12 February, 19.00 - 20.30, Shilin Night Market, Intersection of Jihe Rd and Danan Rd. >> festival website
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TV coverage "Escape to Solastalgia"
The exhibition "Escape to Solastalgia" was covered on local television by Home+, New Taipei City:"Dutch artist holds painting exhibition hoping for Taiwanese to raise awareness of environmental protection", September 2021
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Part 1/2
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Part 2/2
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Solo exhibition "Escape to Solastalgia" in New Taipei City Arts Center
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Opening: Saturday 18th September 2021, 9.30 am - 5 pm Date: 18th – 29th September 2021, Monday to Sunday, 9.30 am - 5 pm (closed 21rst September due to public holiday) Location: New Taipei City Arts Center, Exhibition Room II Address: No. 62, Zhuangjing Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City, 220 |
下方有中文簡介
開幕日：2021年 9⽉18⽇ 9.30 am - 5 pm 展覽⽇期：2021年 9⽉18 - 9⽉29⽇ ｜ 週⼀至週日 9.30 am - 5pm （9月21日為國定假日休館一天） 展覽地點：新北市藝文中心 第二展覽室 展覽地址：新北市板橋區莊敬路62號 |
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Karin Janssen’s work is as fantastical as it is rich – as blooming with vitality as it is a stagnant reminder of a lingering death. It confronts us with the skulls of extinct dinosaurs towering over watercolour tapestries of wild and tropical plants, of hopeful dolphins and guilty hands, of birds and bees and backbones entwined and cast back against the unforgiving lines of urban skyscrapers. It is a world within worlds of contradiction.
Escape to Solastalgia is Janssen’s second solo exhibition in Taiwan. Rooted in her interest in the psychology of climate change, this body of work explores the meaning of the word ‘solastalgia’: the troubling dichotomy of finding both comfort and suffering in the future of our ecosystems. It is defined by a feeling of duality which emerges and unravels itself in the particular grief one experiences in a world which, whilst momentarily still breathing, deteriorates all around us. A Dutch artist, Janssen has lived and worked in the Netherlands, London, Shanghai, São Paulo, and now Taipei. Inspired by the complex realities she finds in each of those places, her gift is in her ability to construct ethereal figures out of forms and colours that, whilst devastatingly beautiful, are also dark and disturbing. There is an almost frenzied quality to her work. Its power lies in the careful intricacies of its connections. Not one figure can be separated from the rest, and so each comes to metaphorize the inextricable relationships between all of life’s forms. Those intricacies feel at once overwhelming and familiar. Her process thus becomes deeply instinctive. Figures flow and battle across the vast expanse of large-scale pieces. Using luxurious watercolours, inks, and elaborate gouaches, they are both abstract and metaphorical. As one form bleeds into the next, Escape to Solastalgia embraces the connections between psyche, body, histories, and nature. In motifs of coral reefs, exotic animals and the creative form of the female figure, her pieces are threaded together with the world’s stories – both deeply-coded analogies for personal trauma and the universally-recognisable myths, theories and legends that make up our collective histories. Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet (2020-21) recollects Samson’s Biblical riddle to the Philistines: an unsolvable puzzle referring to him finding a beehive in the carcass of a lion slain by his own hand. Drawing from multiple other ‘circle of life’ tales across various traditions of culture, gender, religion, and country, Janssen’s transitional pieces consistently convey our ongoing struggle to maintain a collaborative symbiosis with the world. Out of the death of one, comes the sustenance for another. Fuelled by these symbols from a shared existence, Janssen arms us with a collective responsibility for the environment’s destiny. She transports us out of the world of the real, the literal and the brutal, and into the unearthly worlds of her creations – giving us a surreal and cruel mirror into the distorted realities of our own. By embedding individual stories into the communal narrative of the world’s demise, in its mania, perhaps Janssen’s figures begin to hint at a need to shed the burden of personal guilt (referenced often in images of oil slicks, pollution and dirty hands) which so frequently clouds our ability to be proactive. Instead, that burden is replaced with a clarity of thought which will enable us to act. Perhaps, amongst the fear and the turmoil and the agony of a planet in catastrophe, and our responsibility for that demise, Janssen’s Escape to Solastalgia forces us to flee, to escape into our responsibility, not just to ourselves and our own emotional turmoil, but to the fate of a world of which we too are inextricably a part. Escape to Solastalgia opens at New Taipei City Arts Center, Exhibition Room II, Saturday 18th September 2021. It runs until 29th September 2021, Monday to Sunday, 9am-5pm.
Address: No. 62, Zhuangjing Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City, 220. Text by Felicity Bromley-Hall |
Karin Janssen的作品充滿著豐富的生命力，並帶有相當奇幻的色彩，有如敲響的警鐘般，時時提醒著我們死亡的駐足。她的水彩作品讓我們正視一個矛盾的世界，讓我們透過這個世界看見絕種的恐龍骨架、熱帶野生植物、充滿著希望的海豚及罪惡的雙手、魚、蜜蜂及相互交疊的骨架與城市高樓大廈的天際線。
「Escape to Solastalgia」是藝術家在台灣的第二個個展。展覽內容著重在藝術家重視的環境心理學，這一系列的展覽作品正是在探索「鄉痛」(solastalgia)的意義：意旨在承受自己內心兩極的情緒，也就是逃避現實、欣賞自然，對比自然界、家及未來可能消失的悲傷感。在同一個世界，我們的周遭同時擁有著生命的存在及世界惡化後的滅絕或分崩離析。 現居台北的荷蘭藝術家Janssen曾旅居荷蘭、倫敦、上海及聖保羅。每個地方所凸顯的複雜性同時啟發了藝術家——其創作特色在於她擅長將形體解構成飄渺的態樣，讓看似繽紛的色彩下也同時充滿了黑暗與不安。一幅幅充滿張力的作品中佈滿錯綜複雜的細節。畫中的物件需整體觀看，物件與物件間的相互連結，隱喻了我們生活的所有生命形式中無法分割的關係，而這些「細節」同時讓我們感到強烈且熟悉。 在大尺寸的畫作中，流動的物件好似戰鬥的狀態，是藝術家非常直觀的創作形式。作品中使用精緻且豐富的不透明水彩、水墨與水彩，呈現出既抽象又隱喻式的意象。本次展覽「Escape to Solastalgia」探討著心靈、身體、歷史及自然。作品呈現除了以珊瑚礁、奇珍的動物及女性的樣態之外，藝術家創作發想涵蓋著個人的創傷、著名的神話、理論及世界著名的故事。例如作品〈食物出自食者，甜物出自強者〉 (Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet) (2020-21)，是出自聖經中大力士參孫的謎語及非利士人的故事：這是一個無法解開的拼圖。這作品的故事是大力士參孫在親手殺害獅子後，在獅子的屍體上找到蜂巢的故事。從生生不息的傳說及多種包含文化、性別、宗教及國家的傳統，藝術家的作品持續性地向我們傳達，世界正在處於像故事中一樣爭奪與共生的環境。換句話說，我們正處在靠著一個樣態的逝去，來維持另外一個樣態的存在。 在這些作品的象徵故事中，藝術家盡可能地讓我們在環境命運的議題中產生責任感。她帶領我們離開真實、根本且殘酷的世界，轉而進入一面超現實的鏡子，進入到我們自己扭曲的現實。透過連結個人故事到世界死亡的集體敘事，Janssen的畫中物或許暗示著擺脫個人的罪惡，例如畫中的油污、污染及沾滿髒污的手。這些罪惡時常地讓我們消極的失去主動改變的能力。然而，這些重擔可以透過清晰易懂的想法，讓我們可以改變些什麼。也許，在害怕、混亂及災難的煎熬中，這次的展覽「Escape to Solastalgia」迫使我們去面對，不是只對我們自己負責及對我們的情緒不穩負責，而是因為我們正在處於與世界無法分開的命運之中。 「Escape to Solastalgia」展期為2021年9月18至29日上午9點到下午5點，地點位於新北市藝文中心第二展覽室（新北市板橋區莊敬路62號）。 文/ Felicity Bromley-Hall |
Publication exhibition catalogue Extraordinary Machine
August 2020
The exhibition Extraordinary Machine, held at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) in July 2020, was the first solo exhibition of Dutch artist Karin Janssen in Taiwan. Here you can view and download the exhibition catalogue.
The exhibition Extraordinary Machine, held at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) in July 2020, was the first solo exhibition of Dutch artist Karin Janssen in Taiwan. Here you can view and download the exhibition catalogue.
Video about Extraordinary Machine - solo exhibition at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), Taipei
July 2020
Extraordinary Machine, solo exhibition at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB)
July 2020
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下方有中文簡介
Opening: 4th July 3 pm Date: 4th – 26th July 2020, Wednesday to Sunday, 2 – 6 pm Location: Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab, Art Space I, 2F Address: No. 177, Section 1, Jianguo South Road, Da’an District, Taipei The exhibition Extraordinary Machine, held at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), will be the first solo exhibition of Dutch artist Karin Janssen in Taiwan, presenting new and existing work. Janssen creates surreal worlds where contradiction and vitality coexist amidst her experimental techniques. Her composition emerges in the form of an instinctive flow, moving subtly or intensely across the paper. Wandering between abstract and figurative elements, Janssen's imagination creates complex ecosystems, reflecting the deep sea of consciousness in her drawings and paintings. Six years ago, Janssen moved from London to Shanghai, relocating to Taiwan in 2018. The natural environment, cultural scene, and traditional temple designs of the island have since influenced the style of her painting. Her characteristic line drawings have developed into rich, intricate compositions saturated with metaphors, details and colors. During her time in Asia, Janssen has repeatedly borrowed visual elements from the ocean. The tropical rainforest and its vibrant symbiotic relationships have also inspired her work. The ocean is her new medium to inquire about the human experience. As life started in chaotic waters, the ocean represents an organic entity full of wild energy and infinite possibilities. In the symbolic dimension, this imagery of the ocean mirrors the strength and struggle that women are born with. Additionally, the ocean represents the artist’s deep reflection of the world and self during her time on the island. In the shadow of global warming, our encounters with nature confront us with a very strong sense of deracination. As we crave closeness with nature, hoping to recover some kind of lost balance, we are often left with mere imagination and a constant struggle in attempts to fill the void. Inside nature, a remote yet safe feeling emerges within us. Standing in front of Janssen’s bizarre world, we briefly align with all sorts of mysterious life forms, taking hints from the unknown, and immerse ourselves as part of it. By depicting the transformation of organic forms, the seemingly displaced and contradictory entities are ingeniously merged together in her works. For Janssen, the process of painting reflects how she constantly deconstructs and reassembles herself between multiple cultures and identities. Under the vibrant and solid surface of her paintings, Janssen investigates the connections between body, psyche, and nature, presenting the conflicts and dimensions of the subconsciousness in an uncritical visual language. Besides painting, Janssen used to run her own gallery Karin Janssen Project Space in London working as an independent curator. She has also travelled widely, during which time she was invited to complete a residency in Brazil, she organized art projects for local children in Peru and Ecuador and worked with an indigenous community in Paraguay. In the Netherlands she co-founded an NGO to help the integration of immigrant women through art. In the past twenty years, Janssen’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the Netherlands, UK, China, and Brazil. She has been the choice of collectors in the architecture and interior design industry, who, because of the scale of some of Janssen’s work, used it as a part of their architectural design, and her work is held in numerous private collections across Europe, Asia and Latin America. Janssen never expressed her personal endorsement for an art movement or current social issue in particular. Instead, Janssen has chosen to maintain a creative attitude completely loyal to her own experience. Throughout the years traveling in foreign lands, Janssen's own state of mind has remained as her source of creativity. Today, she has found in the Taiwanese landscape a new medium, and more expressions for interpreting life. Extraordinary Machine will be shown at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) from 4 until 26 July. |
「 超凡的機器 Extraordinary Machine 」畫作個展開幕茶會｜7/4 2020 下午 3 點
展覽日期｜7/4 ~ 7/26 2020 週三到週日 2-6pm 展覽場地｜空總臺灣當代文化實驗場C-LAB，聯合餐廳展演空間二樓 10655臺北市大安區建國南路一段177號 來自荷蘭的藝術家 Karin Janssen 擅長以實驗性的技法，架構出矛盾與生命力共存的超現實圖景。構圖從本能出發，或柔軟、或強烈地依循直覺，遊走在抽象與具象的元素之間，建構出意識汪洋中的一種複雜生態。 六年前，Janssen 從倫敦移居上海，後於 2018 年落腳台灣。海島上的自然生態、人文景觀，甚至傳統寺廟的彩繪設計，都影響了她的畫風。從原本各個角度的人體速寫，風格強烈的線條及色塊，轉變為充滿象徵性、細節與色彩飽滿的豐富構圖。 旅居亞洲的六年之間，Janssen 不時剪貼海洋元素，以及熱帶雨林緊湊的共生意象。海洋，是她探討人的媒材；海洋是生命的起源，也是混沌的有機體，其中無法掌控、又蘊藏無限可能的象徵意義，反映了女性及母親身份與生俱來的力量與掙扎。 同時，海洋也是藝術家在海島上對世界與自我的深思。全球暖化的陰影，讓人在面對自然環境時，感到一種強烈的漂流感。我們渴望親近環境，期望找回某種遺失的平衡，卻只能透過不斷的衝撞與想像，才能稍微填補這份空缺。 在自然中，我們可以感到陌生而安全。面對 Janssen 離奇的異世界，我們短暫地讓自己與各種怪誕的生命體為伍，接受各種暗示，沉浸為其中的一份子。 藉著描繪有機形體的變化，她將看似錯置、彼此抗衡的物體巧妙地融合為一。對 Janssen 而言，繪畫的過程，就是在文化衝擊與身份轉換中不斷解構、重組自身的過程。鮮明而立體的表象之下，探討著身體、心理和自然之間的關係。將潛意識的矛盾和不同面向，轉化為一種不帶批判的視覺語言。對於創作，她不曾為任何流派或議題背書，保持著完全忠於自身經驗的創作態度。 Janssen 不只是藝術家，也是策展人。在倫敦，她曾擁有自己的畫廊，以藝術家的身份從事獨立策展。也到南美駐村，為當地的孩童開辦藝術工作坊，進入原住民部落工作。近二十年來，Janssen 的作品展於荷蘭、英國、中國和巴西等世界各國的畫廊、藝術博覽會與博物館，也有建築和室內設計界的藏家，將她的畫作呈現為空間設計的一部份。 長年在異國流轉的心境，成為了 Janssen 獨特的創作養分。而台灣的風景，也讓她找到新的媒材，與對生命的更多解讀。 |
