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The photographs, videos, and ceramic works of Jolijn van den Heuvel (1994) capture everyday details that often remain unnoticed, such as a bag of walnuts swaying in the wind, a small prayer wheel spinning on a dashboard, or the arms of a pair of outside callipers touching each other to form a drop. In this way, she draws attention to what is often overlooked.
Van den Heuvel is interested in rural locations where a slower pace of life and being in contact with nature and traditions are core values. Her work is often realized during residencies in places like this, which according to her offer counterbalance to our hectic modern-day lives. During such residencies she starts by exploring the local surroundings and forges a relationship with it by focusing on poetic fragments, gestures, and snapshots that she later shares with the spectator.
The triptych Abanico (fan) I, II, III (2023) was realized during a residency in Spain. At markets, in the streets, and during festive events, the artist filmed women waving a fan to cool themselves down, a common scene on hot days. With her camera, Van den Heuvel isolated this everyday action. Without context, all that remains is a rhythmic gesture with a meditative quality because of its quiet repetition. At the same time, the triptych also evokes a sense of restlessness due to the interactions of the various images and the friction between the meditative visuals and the busy background noises on the audio track.
Text: Sarah van Binsbergen
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)