The majestic charcoal drawings of Anoek Griffioen came to life in a total installation in which flora, fauna and human figures merged into a surreal world. Griffioen responded to new digital developments by applying techniques such as video mapping to her drawings, and thus broke new ground with her artisanal art practice.
The installation 'Navigating the Imaginary', a twenty-two-metre-long charcoal drawing on which Anoek Griffioen (Enschede, 1979) worked intensively for two years, was central. The immense work functioned as an enlarged viewing box for passers-by in the Witte de Withstraat. From the street side, there was almost nothing to see; Griffioen's rich world of ideas unfolded through only one narrow window. Between lush leaves and plants, human figures seemed to hide like forest animals, waiting for dusk to fall so they could emerge.
drawings and video mapping
In addition to drawings, Griffioen showed the video sculpture 'Flo' in which a girl wanders through a drawn space. The romantic scene was projected onto a cube using special video mapping technology, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in her world of experience. In 'Foliage', the visitor himself became part of the work: an immense, almost impenetrable foliage came to life with every movement in the space using motion sensors.
The exhibition was curated by Mariette Dölle (director of Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen, previously artistic director of TENT).
Response
“Animated nature as an example of a world that is never fully knowable. A world that is both seductive and threatening in its elusiveness”, Het Financieele Dagblad (12.11.2016)
BEAUTIFUL #547 28-09-16 Anouk Griffion from Beautiful on Vimeo.