Levi van Veluw

Levi van Veluw

In the depths of memory

Levi van Veluw has over the past year worked uninterruptedly on a new body of works. Using whimsical lines crafted from tulip wood, he has created sculptural blueprints of his never-before-depicted memories. Like a seismograph recording lost brainwaves, he arranges the wooden lines into a gripping staging.

As a visitor, you are actively drawn into the presentation through the eyes of the artist. Sometimes you are a spectator, at other times you become the main character. In one work, you disrupt a family dinner, in another sculpture you witness a struggle. Stared at by piercing gazes, you are made complicit in a situation that unfolds before your eyes. You are being looked at but, in a way, you are also looking at yourself from an external perspective. It is the uncanny sensation of dreams in which you watch your own actions while hovering above your own body. The remnants of almost-forgotten moments captured in a concise manner.

Confidence, 2023 | Wood, ink, metal frame | 200,5 x 149,5 x 8 cm

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Confidence is the inaugural piece in Levi van Veluw’s latest series In the depths of memory. It is a portrait that renounces literal interpretation of the figure, opting instead for flowing lines that create an organic whole. The work exudes self-assurance, with a figure whose back is straight, chin held high, and gaze proud, projecting a sense of strength.

The artist’s creative process involves drawing portraits from his recollections of a face, where the memories are often vague and lacking in specific details, such as the shape of a nose, hair colour, or even a pimple. The only impressions that remain are those associated with the emotional state of the moment.

In the work Distinct, the artist presents distinct states of existence. Distinct is depicted in a warm, yellow hue, with a bright and cheerful figure that is more illustrative, featuring clear irises in the eyes. When viewed side-by-side, the works are notable for their differing structural compositions.

Distinct, 2023 | Wood, ink, metal frame | 91 x 76 x 7 cm

Levi van Veluw

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Intervention (version 1 of 2), 2023 | Wood, ink, metal frame | 92 x 182 cm

Levi van Veluw

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Intervention invites viewers to relate to the figure positioned in the middle of the piece. Despite the obscured face, the figure appears to be under scrutiny and pressure from a dominant presence in the background. Although the figure is not literally positioned at the center of the circular composition, their placement and the attention given to them make them seem like the focal point.

This piece raises questions about how individuals relate to the group and how they feel under the gaze of others. As viewers, we are left wondering about the thoughts and emotions of the central figure, highlighting the ambiguity of the situation. The group dynamic depicted in the artwork emphasizes the complexity of social interactions and the power dynamics at play in such situations.

In addition to wall sculptures, van Veluw also created a spatial installation and a film. The circular space has a prison-like feel to it, offering no means of escape. On the walls of the cylindrical room are endless cupboards filled from top to bottom with hundreds of heads. Is this a depot, a studio you find yourself in? Or are you inside the artist’s brain?

In the film, we see the artist, caught in a neurotic work-frenzy, modelling his own head in clay over and over again. As if in a feverish dream, he tries desperately to fill all the shelves in the cupboards behind him. Every time he thinks he has filled the last shelf, a new block of clay is already waiting for him and the process starts all over again. It is reminiscent of the myth of Sisyphus, in which the protagonist is condemned to constantly push a boulder up to the top of a hill, only for it to roll back to the bottom. Like Sisyphus, van Veluw is literally caught in the obsessive repetition of his creative urge. The creation of his own effigy is a quest for eternal youth or an impossible pursuit of immortality — an ambition that underlies every artist’s work.

About the artist

Over the past 15 years, Van Veluw has produced a diverse and evolving oeuvre that is exhibited all around the world. He is known for installations, sculptures, drawings, and autobiographical films that draw from his childhood memories. From the depths of his memory, the artist unearths images that provoke universal emotions and question our human logic. Van Veluw plays with elements of order and chaos, posing to the viewer questions about our obsessive pursuit of control.

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ABOUT Levi van Veluw

Levi van Veluw was born in the city of Hoevelaken in 1985. He lives and works near Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Van Veluw creates his works with extreme care and craftsmanship; his sculptures of clay and wood are made entirely by hand, giving them an authentic, coarse, and organic character. His intricately built-up charcoal drawings show great symmetry and harmony, whilst his remarkable use of light evokes a strong, meditative mood. The installations by Van Veluw offer intense and immersive experiences. In the past, he has built complete, though fictional cathedrals – amongst other dark and sensory spaces built of obscure forms and materials. Visitors that enter Van Veluw’s alternate realities become disassociated from their existing spatial interpretations. They experience a disruptive environment where both order and chaos live one amongst the other.

The work of Van Veluw has been exhibited internationally in leading museums and institutions worldwide, such as the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; the Bass Museum of Art, Miami; Ars Electronica, Linz; Centro Nacional de las Artes, Mexico City; Design Museum, London; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and Marres House for Contemporary Culture, Maastricht, amongst others. His work is included in both public and private collections, such as the Borusan Collection, Istanbul; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Museum MORE, Gorssel; the KPMG Art Collection, Amstelveen; the Ekard Collection, Wassenaar; the Lakeside Collection, Rotterdam, and Cobra to Contemporary/The Brown Family Collection.

Additionally, Van Veluw has worked on commissions for private clients. Within these commissions he has undertaken many collaborations. In 2012, Van Veluw worked alongside curator Marc Coetzee on the film “Family”, produced as part of the “Films4peace” project. In 2014, working alongside Hermès, Van Veluw created a life-sized site-specific installation for one of their main windows in Shanghai. Van Veluw has also participated in international film festivals, including Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa; Afrika Film festival, Leuven; Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, Port of Spain, and West Midlands Human Rights Film Festival, Birmingham.

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