The work of painter, artist Merel van Engelen (b. 1989) comes to Zierikzee. Via Dordrecht, where Merel exhibited in gallery Wijnstraat, and from Ede, where she has her current studio.

The central work in this exhibition is the diptych “Zeeland” (2017, oil on panel). Some eight other works from the same period complement the exhibition.

Diptych 'Zeeland' (140x120cm & 100x120cm, length/height) was created in 2017 and is part of a project in collaboration with Natuurmonumenten.

The abstract loose touch and clean line come together in Merel's work. Geometric and organic forms alternate, connected by a telling, lucid palette.

“My use of color, shape and composition are free; I paint realistically and abstract at the same time. The colors are bright and layered. The brushstrokes are sometimes tight and sometimes loose.”

She adds additional layering to the panel itself with very refined cut-outs. Many thin, detailed cut-out lines surround the shapes, adding depth and contrast to the spatial representation.

Merel graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 2012 (BA, majoring in painting) and from Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2015 (M. A. Cultural Sciences).

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Summer clock and spring sun in Atelier 21, double up; Zeeland in Zeeland. Welcome to view.

March 21 - May 11, 2024