Lessons from the sixties
Emancipation of the material
Since the beginning of the seventies the figuration of the material itself plays a central role in my work. This stemmed from a need for images without connotation or double bottom.
To leave things to their own worth in equilibrium with themselves. No hierarchy.
This lead to works that literally are close at hand
Properties of paper, folds, wrinkles in relation to miscibility of paint, pencil, chalk as subject.
The interrelation between materials and forms.
Concrete, clear forms that speak for themselves and do not have to be explained.
It is what you see.
To liberate the work from temporary emotions, lift it over time.
A great freedom of the use of materials has arisen.
I make sculptures without being a sculptor, use paint without being a painter.
I like images that arise from investigation, material tests, colour swatches, experiments.
A lot of different work originated in this area in which the geometrical form was used as carrier of the properties of the material.
Maria van Elk, 1986
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