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Events, Exhibition — Photography, Installation, Textile

Finissage: Exploring the Fields | Jacquie Maria Wessels

Date:
Saturday 18 January 2025
15:00—18:00
Location:
→ Galerie Fontana
Lauriergracht 142
1016 RT Amsterdam
Admission
Free admission
Open today from 13:00 to 18:00

Galerie Fontana is delighted with the success of the first solo exhibition by Jacquie Maria Wessels at the gallery, titled Exploring the Fields. The premiere of Dubious Appeal was shown alongside previous works by the artist from her series Garage StillsFringe Nature, and Memory Master. Diverse in their thematic foundations, Jacquie Maria Wessels’ analogue photography is both poetic and sinister. On Saturday, 18 January, the finissage will take place from 15:00 to 18:00.

Garage Stills

Garage Stills stands out for its surprising use of colour. During the artist’s visits to various garages, from Amsterdam to Sri Lanka, she explored these fascinating spaces by creating still lifes on the spot with the intriguing and personal objects she discovered there. This series can be seen as a precursor to Fringe Nature, in which Jacquie Maria Wessels goes beyond the car repair garages, turning her lens to traces of nature in the immediate surroundings. The sparse presence of greenery recalls the Modernist battle between nature and urban spaces. The metanarrative of these works references current changes in the automotive industry as the relationship between environmentalism and technology comes into focus.

Dubious Appeal

In Dubious Appeal, Wessels further examines the tension between nature and industry. The flowers, colours, and shapes in these compositions seduce the viewer – yet simultaneously feel threatening. They play with the (unconscious) allure of attractively designed packaging featuring patterns and colours inspired by nature. Not everything is as it seems in these sometimes sinister analogue photographs; what looks like flowers may not be. Material destined for disposal finds itself among its figurative counterparts.

Memory Master

Memory Master shares a similar visual language with Fringe Nature and Dubious Appeal, with its painterly imagery and depictions of nature forming a fantastical sequence. However, the works on undulating silk evoke memories of places you might have visited. The almost mysterious Impressionist-like images are reminiscent of fading recollections. The Memory Master Tree Installation (2021) explores the idea that trees may capture memories as witnesses to the passing of time. Since 1988, Jacquie Maria Wessels has been creating this series, capturing it on an analogue 35mm camera.

About the Artist

Jacquie Maria Wessels’ work is exhibited worldwide and is included in the collections of several museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (NL), Musée de la Photographie Charleroi (BE), Huis Marseille – Museum for Photography Amsterdam (NL), Vincent van GoghHuis (NL), and the Surinamese Museum in Paramaribo (SR). In 2023, Ludion (BE) published the photo book Garage Stills & Fringe Nature.

Photos by Gert Jan van Rooij