FISH
FISH
A solo exhibition by Jordy van den Nieuwendijk
KEVN, Galileistraat 2 in Eindhoven
On view till November 20th
Jordy van den Nieuwendijk is a Dutch artist now settling into expat life in Melbourne. Whilst he tries to stay away from Australia’s venomous and toxic wildlife, v. d. Nieuwendijk draws inspiration from the species less likely to kill him. Over the past few months the artist has enjoyed encounters with a blue-tongued lizard, a red-necked wallaby, a sulphur-crested cockatoo and a rainbow lorikeet – pretty common encounters in a country famous for its exotic creatures. Now, whilst exploring the coasts of his new country, he turns his attention to the underwater world.
“As much as I enjoy travelling, I wouldn’t describe myself as adventurous. I’m more comfortable wearing VR goggles than underwater goggles.” Yet Australia’s abundance of aquatic life cast its net around the tentative explorer, bringing up hundreds of sketches in which sea shells, lobsters, tropical fish and whale tales become the prime subjects. Further influenced by French Oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau’s underwater documentaries, the artist pulls the rainbow of ocean life to the surface. Fascinated by colour and composition, this new world provides a vibrant breeding ground for artistic experimentation. In his new solo show FISH, v.d. Nieuwendijk presents nine ocean themed works in oil on wood. Imaginary views from submarines, anatomically questionable fish, and scenes of imagined underwater travel show that, creatively at least, the artist is much more adventurous than he thinks.
