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Serious Weather Press on Femme
Oil on canvas, 60x70 cm
Oil on canvas, 170x200 cm
Tell it like it is
exhibited at Guts Gallery (London), March 2024
exhibition with Safae Gounane, Erika Peucelle, Hugo Harris and Robin van Leijsen
exhibition with Safae Gounane, Erika Peucelle, Hugo Harris and Robin van Leijsen
curated by Benjamin Carels
The objective of this show is to influence the quasi-intellectual narrative, where nobody really understands what is being told. To bridge the gap between humans and art, but foremost to strengthen the connection between the artist and the viewer. We, as human beings, should search for answers to our daily struggles in humanity, and not in complexities. Apart from death, life is the one thing we all can relate to and have in common, approaching and addressing our challenges in a complex manner won’t benefit anyone; even more so, it will only alienate us from each other. In tackling struggles, art can play a unifying role. Through art, we can start a dialogue and unite people. It isn’t necessary to go through the same experience to feel understanding for someone else. Everyone has their own day-to-day challenges and that given is what we, as humans, have in common. Through art, we can find solace and connect with fellow human beings - without all the intellectual mumbo-jumbo. Therefore, it would be better to tell it like it is.
A sudden obsession with long, cherry-red, press-on nails, pulled Robin van Leijsen out of their vision of their androgynous exterior. They have been going on this journey, of trying to find a balance and comfort between the masculine and feminine, mainly finding the balance between their more feminine looks by masculine counterparts. This newfound love for the press on nails got Robin embracing the feminine accessories that have been pushed away by themselves. Through this work, Robin has been able to use body language, textures, and distortions to explore this pursued balance.