Join us for the opening of Layers of Life – Also in Suffering Lies Beauty by Jan Hogema.
Jan Hogema (1964) studied visual communication at the Art Academy in Den Bosch. For 25 years he worked as an independent graphic designer. In addition, he also created his own work.
Hogema now devotes himself completely to his art. At first glance his work has something serene and dark about it. The multimedia images he creates – using photography, screen-printing and print with materials like aluminium, wood, fabric and linen – are characterised by clear lines and a powerful graphic appearance, but they are almost always anonymised in some way.
Hogema wants to tell a universal story with his art and wants to break free from the personal. The mystique and alienation that this evokes (‘What am I looking at?’ ‘What do I think of this?’) is typical of his work, producing iconic images.
The search for identity and its effects are central to his work; often they depict an inner struggle between mental freedom and captivity. Hogema shows that there lies beauty in suffering: life and suffering are inextricably linked and they arise from deeper feelings such as hope, desire and love.
In Hogema’s art, those different layers often grate a little; just the way it is in life. With his work he wants to stimulate the mind and challenge the viewer to introspect.
While there will be plenty of art to marvel at, we’ll have bites and bubbles to keep it fun and festive, too.
