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15 January - 12 February 2004
Ad Gerritsen
"On a journey"
opening Saturday 15 January 16-18 pm
wednesday - saturday 12-17 pm
1st Sunday of the month 14-17 pm
In all his work since 1965 Ad Gerritsen (1940) has been focusing on the fringe of society: whores, criminals, mentally retarded persons- all those who "don't belong".
His own years as an assistant in a mental institution have doubtlessly contributed a great deal to the subject matter of his work.
He usually evokes familiar cliché's (f.i. representing a certain mood or frame of mind), translated by Gerritsen into colour and imagery, based on books and periodicals that he has collected over the years.
After initially using various techniques (a.o. photography) he has long since confined himself to painting in oil, with some graphic and ceramic excursions.
The title of this exhibition was borrowed from the painting "On a journey", which is depicted on the invitation card.
The word "journey" is preferred over "vacation" by those who feel that it alludes to a sense of freedom and adventure- but for many of us going on a journey is a bitter necessity.
A certain irony is thus inherent to this title.
The large canvas Bonn-Petersberg-Kabul (2004, 260 x 210 cm) is a voyage into time, that has several themes: the conference on Afghanistan in Bonn-Petersberg, the liberation of Kabul and the reflective glance of a few favorite artists (Beckmann, Hodler, Modigliani) who view the present time with a pensive glance.
Ad Gerritsen works >>
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