menu
foto credit @quinn.e.a.oosterbaan

Fotocredit  @quinn.e.a.oosterbaan

 

'If everyone unites to make everything easier in every possible way, then there remains only one danger, namely, that convenience becomes so great that it becomes too easy; then only one loss off - the loss of difficulty. Out of love for humanity, I understood that that was my mission: to make trouble, everywhere. - Søren Kierkegaard / Johannes Climacus (1846).


Pauline Nijenhuis comes from the pre-internet era and she is strongly aware of the effects that the use of the internet has on our freedom, security and identity. She wonders, is it a blessing: unlimited acquisition of knowledge, arranging formalities or making purchases? Or is it a curse: being determined by coercion, complexity or vulnerability.

In her latest project Password; a curse or a blessing? she shows the vulnerability of our lives online. The concern about the relationship between humans and the digital world. In addition, Nijenhuis's work has undergone a fascinating technical development in recent years; she collaborated with computers when weaving her textile work. Moreover, the work has acquired a performative character. The artist himself frequently appears as a model.
In project 'De Vendeldragerster' the body literally takes center stage and she can convey her message without a machine.

Nijenhuis investigates how acceleration relates to our current society and our human body in this increasingly automated society; see also the Fast Work Time consuming Landscape and HAND@WORK projects. In her mixed-media paintings 'Fast Landscapes', Nijenhuis depicts 'speed' in a very labor-intensive and time-consuming technique (acrylic paint and hand embroidery). With this process she seeks to eliminate delays. Perhaps unconsciously a silent protest against the dizzying acceleration in our current high-tech era?

'That other reality which becomes visible by speed.'

In addition to textile paintings, Pauline also focuses on photography. Get acquainted with her new photo works printed on dibond with a top layer of acrylic.