BROKEN LANDSCAPES –

Fragments, Structures, Horizons: Landscape Images by Ger Dekkers,
Jan Dibbets, Ger van Elk and
Jaap van den Ende

September 6, 2014 – January 18, 2015

Since the late 1960s a number of artists from the Nederlands have been concentrating on dealing with the subject landscape in a headstrong, conceptually reflected manner. Extremely fragmented sights, geometrically structured detail views and panoramas, dissected perspectives and disrupted horizons characterize their works. Many of these systematically textured works are based on photographic shots, without being classic landscape photographs in general. Collages, assemblings, serial image sequences show analytically fragmented landscapes that make it difficult or even impossible to orientate oneself. Despite this variety the common ground between these work complexes is the intensively observing as well as critically distant view on the immediate environment.

“The subject of my work is the way our culture affects the landscape. The Dutch landscape with its enclosures is a precise example” writes Ger Dekkers and frames representatively an interest that all four independently working and with showcase works in the exhibition displaying artists unite. The more or less reflected threat to the Dutch coast landscape which for centuries the sea and with preservative strife is confronted with, creates alongside the radical urban sprawl and advancing fragmentation of landscape a common subtext for an independent work progress. The construction of environment reflects itself – broken or alienated – in complex visual constructs. Even though the works of the participating artist feature conceptual strictness and a high intellectual level of reflection they also convey an astounding variety and, in selected pictures, an immediate fascinating appeal.

Download high-resolution images

An accompanying catalogue will be published.

Further stations of the exhibition:

Ludwig Museum Koblenz January 25, 2015 till March 8, 2015

Stedelijk Museum Schiedam April 18, 2015 till June 15, 2015