Between Past and Present by Francis Willemstijn

Artist list

Francis Willemstijn

With this special exhibition Francis Willemstijn celebrates the fact that she has been working as an artist for ten years. During all this time she had many idea's that were never carried out and the present show was the right occasion to catch up on them. Of course it didn't turn into a reassuring sentimental journey, conveniently following trodden paths: a decade of experience gave her wings and the necessary command and daring.
Willemstijn's connection with history manifests itself again by deploying the handwriting of the founder of the Dutch Republic William of Orange, and in excerpts from old maps of Amsterdam or the Netherlands. These references shouldn't be considered as a nostalgic longing for the past, as is made clear in the title of the brooch 'The streets we walked'. The present also exists in the fragments of plants and leaves from Willemstijns own garden. For notwithstanding the importance of art and tradition, it is essential that, to quote Candide, we must cultivate our garden.

In her execution Willemstijn is wayward and expressive as always. Archaic materials like bog wood and oak provide contexts, red coral glows, and jet and garnets contribute their dark glitter; traditional cloth from the Dutch island of Marken contribute a human angle, as does the incidental use of human hair. The associative power of all these elements enrich the eloquence of the shapes and citations that make up the work.
Francis Willemstijn breathed exciting new life into existing concepts, and achieved an atmosphere of rich tradition in her new designs. In this way she made herself a self portrait in touch with the past and rooted in the present.

Ward Schrijver
(© Galerie Rob Koudijs)