ilse versluijs

CARNAVAL; DANSE PANDÉMIQUE

Carnaval; danse pandémique is personal reflection of the Corona pandemic times that seem to be in the past, but are still influencing our day to day lives. The work refers to the celebration of Carnaval and to the Danse Macabre during the pest plagues in the Middle Ages.

The work can be a starting point for meaningful conversations leading to more insight, understanding, empathy and processing.

The art installation Carnaval; danse pandémique consists of 2 movies (made in collaboration with William Pennings) that are presented in a household setting (a living room) and a small dancefloor.

It portrays the daily lives of 11 Dutch ‘household bubbles’ during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The work is made in 2020-2023 following the corona rules that applied at the time. It was shown for the first time at HOK Gallery, Den Haag (17-2 till 4-3 ’23)

Here you can view the 11 portraits:
Kunstenaar – https://vimeo.com/805563429 Gezin – https://vimeo.com/805561913 Predikant – https://vimeo.com/805560141
70-plussers – https://vimeo.com/805560796 Leerkracht – https://vimeo.com/805563854 Musici – https://vimeo.com/805564564
Therapeut – https://vimeo.com/805581027 Yoga docent – https://vimeo.com/805583425 Jong gezin – https://vimeo.com/805587140
Dieren activist – https://vimeo.com/805590680 Bomenbouwer – https://vimeo.com/808996522

Underworld, silkscreen prints, 2021-’22

The Underworld silkscreen prints series is printed on fabrics in layers using natural inks. At the start of the Covid pandemic in 2019 I have started to experiment with making my own natural inks, mainly from plants. The layers create depth and texture which are enhanced by embroidery. Moving shadows & dancing light spots.

Underworld, lithographs, 2022

underwater:

a world distorted

that we know

inverted

what seemed solid

becomes fluid

fleeting in layers

like a murky negative

topsy-turvy

the deeper, the darker:

underworld

In 2021 I got a grant (Impulsregeling zzpers) from the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie to expand my knowledge of lithography. To benefit both my own practise as well as the Grafische Werkplaats where I work as a technician. Jurjen Ravenhorst gave me a mastercourse in lithography and with his help I spend a year developing my litho printing skills. Experimenting with printing on textiles like cotton and silk and with printing in layers, I created a series called ‘Underworld’ that was presented in the Grafische Werkplaats in September-November 2022. It is still an ungoing series.

kunst op de tuin

In de weekenden van 25-26 juni & 2-3 juli ’22 is er kunst te zien in de tuinen bij VTV Mariahoeve, Den Haag. Daar kun je ook mijn (Terror)vogels zien, een wens in 1 van de gevleugelde buisjes van ‘I wish’ in de wensboom/struik doen en mijn ‘Freaks of nature’ 3D schetsen (zie ook de Freaks of nature tekeningen op deze site) bekijken in het boeken-leenkastje.

At the weekends of June 25-26 & July 2-3 you can enjoy art at the gardens of VTV Mariahoeve, The Hague. You’ll find my (Terror) birds there and can put a wish in one of the winged tubes of ‘I wish’ in the wishing tree or view my ‘Freaks of nature’ 3D sketches (you may enjoy the Freaks of nature drawings also on this site) in the free books cabinet.

Knotted

Knotted is a series of masks made of spool knitted cotton which is then knotted and sewn together. I started these series during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020 / ’21). The masks are a way to hide feelings, but at the same time can be very revealing…

Breathing

In 2020 I made a series of masks in which I investigate my personal emotions, reactions and thoughts about the Civis-19 pandemic. Since most of them are made during lock-down I have mainly used materials I had lying around my studio and home.

Underworld, riso prints, 2020

‘Underworld’ is a series of risoprints made with photographs I took of trees/landscapes mirrored in water. They show an inverted, inaccessable world full of mysterie. The same but also the opposite of the world we live in and call reality. There are 111 prints on paper, all a bit smaller than A4, all different in image, amount of layers or colours, some of them have been sewn over or have a sewn-on layer of sheer fabric.

M & M’s

An A6 booklet of risoprints and riso-drawings. There are 10 booklets with 80 M & M’s, 5 with 64 and 2 with 40 M & M’s. Each booklet has different variations of the 80 different images; all risoprinted and many of them drawn on. There are also loose A6 M & M riso-drawings.