In his monumental drawings, Pieter Slagboom reveals a world in which birth, death, and sexuality are inextricably linked. On large canvases, lines swirl together to form bodies that contort and swarm in cramped compositions. With radiant, almost pulsating colors, Slagboom seduces the eye. Inducing a longer look, scenes unfold that strip the body of shame and reveal how our most intimate corners underlie our existence.
Slagboom’s work, Scent of Hypnosis, is a new series of commissioned works, in which he further explores and expands on his existing themes. The exhibition is based on a complex system of more than 170 studies, which form the basic designs for large diptychs and triptychs, as well as individual drawings. The figures in these works remind us of the cyclical nature of life: creation, death, and survival seamlessly follow one another.
The raw and daring images challenge taboos and social rules. Slagboom resists the polished conventions of our society and reveals what we prefer to keep hidden. He relentlessly confronts the viewer with our deepest vulnerabilities. The discomfort this evokes is as inescapable as life itself.
Pieter Slagboom (born 1956) received his master’s degree in 1981 from the St. Joost Academy of Art and Design in Breda. His work focuses exclusively on drawing and has been exhibited at Vleeshal (Middelburg), Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Office Baroque (Antwerp), and Bridget Donahue (New York).
Àngels Miralda (1990) is a writer and curator. She has worked on many national and international exhibitions, including recently Contemporary Biennial TEA (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Something Else III & IV (Cairo Biennale), Radius CCA (Delft), PAKT Foundation (Amsterdam), Indebt (Amsterdam), Mutter (Amsterdam), and De Appel (Amsterdam).
