Levi van Veluw's series "Origin of the Beginning consists of photographs, installations and videos in which he draws from his own childhood memories to thematically and narratively develop his own brand of self-portraiture.
Portrayed in this piece is a room with 5 persons sitting at a table. These persons are Levi van Veluw, his father, mother, brother and sister. The room is executed as a life-size installation (4m x 2.5m x 2.5m) in which everything , including the family members themselves, is covered with 20.000 dark brown wooden blocks. (without any digital manipulation)
At first glance everyone is sitting peacefully at the table, the picture of a perfect family unit. Yet this group of figures is positioned in an abstract environment, unrecognisable and therefore far removed from reality. Dimly light and dark in colour the overriding tone of this work is claustrophobic and sombre, exuding a sense of loneliness.
The awkward silence and dark colour suggest uncomfortable underlying tensions and emotions.The endless repetition of wooden blocks stands for van Veluw’s attempts to gain control of his own position within the familial structure.
photo info:
Levi van Veluw Origin of the Beginning / Family 2012courtesy Galerie Ron Mandos
Portrayed in this piece is a room with 5 persons sitting at a table. These persons are Levi van Veluw, his father, mother, brother and sister. The room is executed as a life-size installation (4m x 2.5m x 2.5m) in which everything , including the family members themselves, is covered with 20.000 dark brown wooden blocks. (without any digital manipulation)
At first glance everyone is sitting peacefully at the table, the picture of a perfect family unit. Yet this group of figures is positioned in an abstract environment, unrecognisable and therefore far removed from reality. Dimly light and dark in colour the overriding tone of this work is claustrophobic and sombre, exuding a sense of loneliness.
The awkward silence and dark colour suggest uncomfortable underlying tensions and emotions.The endless repetition of wooden blocks stands for van Veluw’s attempts to gain control of his own position within the familial structure.
photo info:
Levi van Veluw Origin of the Beginning / Family 2012courtesy Galerie Ron Mandos
