Jordy van den Nieuwendijk’s first ever UK solo exhibition

Posted by Fabio 27 November 2018

For Jordy van den Nieuwendijk’s first ever UK solo exhibition, the gallery space will be transformed by a series of farm-themed paintings created exclusively for the show and obligatory hay bales neatly piled in the space. All are painted in Van Den Nieuwendijk’ by-now-familiar style, in which no line too many are used to depict the subjects, allowing the artist to portray their bare essence.

The works invite you to imagine yourself outside in the barnyard, on the farmland. They are shy of animals or human figures; no-one is ploughing the fields, scattering seeds or preparing the soil for planting. Perhaps this suggests that the viewer takes on the role of the farmer being asked to observe, enjoy and wander without getting dirty and tired from their labours. In this continuation of his minimal figurative vocabulary Van Den Nieuwendijk engages the agricultural setting in a unique way encouraging the viewer to focus on the often overlooked; from farm buildings to garden tools, as well as revisiting subjects like a cactus, a bell pepper, plants and flowers.

A boundary between the abstract and the figurative is not drawn. As long as Van den Nieuwendijk does not choose a side, he retains space for experimentation and can freely play with these shadows, horizons and negative spaces. There’s A Snake In My Boot epitomises Van den Nieuwcolour colourfield painting approach as well as the colourful optimism that characterizes all of his work, shining a new light on natural elements and man-made objects that we often take for granted.

Jordy van den Nieuwendijk (b.1985) graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and lives and works in The Netherlands. Recent solo and group exhibitions include: Gallery De Voorkamer, Amsterdam, NL. Gallery Ninasagt, Düsseldorf, GE. Museum Kunsthal, Rotterdam, NL. Gallery Moiety, New York, US.