ARJAN VAN HELMOND: NAVIGATOR

f a projects
Artist: Arjan van Helmond
Dates: 23 May – 30 June, 2007

f a projects presents an exhibition of new works by the Dutch painter, Arjan van Helmond. Navigator is the artist’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, and continues van Helmond’s investigation into the ‘lived experiences of spaces’. 

van Helmond uses photographs as a starting point from which he develops a story or event through a subtle reworking of the documented image. Working with gouache and acrylic on paper, the artist creates beautiful and precise paintings that explore the relationship between image and narrative.

van Helmond’s paintings depict domestic scenes and objects that are inherent to our everyday. Familiar but unremarkable, these are spaces in which human presence is a given quality even though their representation is notably absent of any human figures. In this regard the very portrayal of such intimate spaces alludes to a specific story or narrative, whilst the absence of people both heightens our interest in the image and produces a sense of quiet unease. 

The artist’s depiction of the inconsequential in Navigator, is both seductive and unnerving as the unnoticed physical apparatus of our existence becomes the site of an unfamiliar story. In van Helmond’s hands the representation of the mundane suddenly becomes exotic, and our own relationship to the seemingly trivial sites and objects which are part of our daily lives comes under investigation.

Navigator is a two part exhibition presented in collaboration with Galerie Juliette Jongma, Amsterdam. The first exhibition of Navigator will be presented in Amsterdam, from 14 April – 19 May 2007, followed by the second exhibition in London. A publication on the two exhibitions will be released in autumn.

In 2006 Arjan van Helmond participated in the exhibitions The Crystal World, Chung King Projects, Los Angeles(solo); Kaminzimmer, Greider Contemporary, Zurich; Le Nouveau Siècle, Museum van Loon, Amsterdam; and Google earth, Academiegalerie, Utrecht. The artist was also the subject (with Stani Michiels) of the book, Stani Michiels and Arjan van Helmond: Jakarta Metropolis Horizontal and Vertical Observations, produced by Valiz Publishers, and was resident artist at the Holsboer Atelier, Cité Internationale des arts, Paris.

His other recent exhibitions include Dialogen in de schilderkunst: Epiloog, De Overslag, Eindhoven; Museum Collection, Grongier Museum, Groningen;  Double Happiness, BizArt Art Center, Shanghai; Le Peintre de la vie Moderne, Museum De Pavilijoens, Almere (all 2005); PRC Bowcentrum, Bodegraven (solo); Don’t Be a Stranger, Galerie Juliette Jongma, Amsterdam (solo); Open At (all 2004). Van Helmond is represented in the collections of ABN Amro, De Nederlansche Bank, Akzo Nobel, the Saatchi Collection, KPN, and in private collections throughout Europe and America.

f a projects                                           
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www.faprojects.com

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Saturday 12 - 5 pm

Image Credits: Arjan van Helmond;  Chandelier # 6, 2005; Acrylic and gouache on paper; Copyright: Saatchi Gallery