Riëtte Wanders’ drawings are executed in blacks, whites and grays. In the absence of colour, other elements like texture, structure, and composition come to the fore, and Wanders masters all these facets.
But more than anything, Wanders’ work reveals in its material presence. In her previous drawings on paper this manifests as blackest black of Siberian chalk, or subtle drip of watery acrylic paint on bulging paper, giving the work an almost prehistorical (or at least a-historical) feel.
In the new textile paintings, a layering of fabrics, patches, and stitches reaches a similar effect. Expressive, unapologetic, somewhat dirty, they boldly flaunt their imperfections. Paint has been applied in splashes, or with a roller, half hidden by parts of mosquito-net or crossed with lines, ‘drawn’ with a sewing machine. This is intuitive chemistry; it is as if we are witnessing a universe in the process of self-actualisation, stopped mid-process and recorded by the artist.
Especially for this exhibition, a limited-edition silkscreen print of Riëtte Wanders will be available at Off Hook.
