Art Office

Verheuls installation Invisible Sand is the result of the research that she started in 2021, in the middle of the corona crisis. Large oval gold mirrors reflect their surroundings, the audience walking through the installation. There are piles of sand everywhere, even in the mirrors that are reminiscent of enormous dishes that want to receive or transmit signals from space. The installation was exhibited in Root Gallery, Rotterdam in the exhibition Sound of Silence. Verheul applied for a work grant.

Ideal, she thought, because it was an easy, accessible arrangement. Verheul: 'Normally you have to adapt your application to the requirements of the subsidy provider. The temporary work contribution PPR was a scheme that provided a good amount for many people. The application could be quite concise, it did not take months of preparation. The nice thing was that you could have a fairly vague idea and then develop it. You could already invest in production costs, for example. It was good for peace of mind: someone, an organization has confidence in you, you are seen.'

Verheul: 'It was a sad year, with few presentation moments. Money helps, that sounds strange, but it allowed me to start an investigation. to what? To sand. There is scarcity, the ring around Rotterdam was expanded and lay still for a while because of sand shortage.'

Verheul immersed himself in the book A Grain of Sand by Vince Beiser. It describes how the history of sand as a building material is developing: 'I advise everyone to buy or borrow that book. His research is thorough, it supported my project in terms of content.' But she also studied the Mono Ha art movement, founded by, among others, the Chinese artist Lee Ufan. Earth, sky, water and Zen Buddhism come together in his art. Verheul: 'I'm curious how other artists work, and what I can learn from that. Zen Buddhism asks for self-reflection and I translate that into my work.'

The realization that there are many, actually too many people living on the planet and that the pressure on the available resources is therefore high, always plays a role in her work. Verheul: 'I start from a conceptual point of view. It's political without wanting to be pedantic.'

Your work is about the relationship between people and their environment. Has the past period influenced your work extra?
'It feels like we are very vulnerable, as human beings. Everyone is tired of the past period, everyone is in their own social bubble. The macro-micro aspect is interesting: as humans you don't necessarily see how destructive we are as a species. We want a marble countertop, because we like it. But we don't dwell on what it costs. The mountain landscape suffers from our greed. Climate change also plays a role in it, it is necessary to be more radical. However, I prefer not to make sharp statements. I especially want to make people more aware.'

How do you translate that insight into your art?
'My work is aesthetic, it is in your face, big sometimes, gold and confrontational. Think of it as a conversation starter. People often ask me why I use gold mirrors in my installations. Gold and glitter are the archetype of what our longing is for: gold and diamonds are universally valuable and scarce. Sand will become just as rare and precious.'

The use of soil, sand and rocks in your work gives it a landscape feel. Would you like to create art in the outdoor space?
'I was asked by RORO Buiten to make work for outside that is both weather and vandal resistant. And I've had a number of conversations with presentation places about exhibitions. I want to get material there, where I can drive myself to keep my ecological footprint small. Maybe Italy, maybe Croatia. But the question is whether my car can handle the weight of stones and sand.'

It sounds like an adventure, do you like to travel?
'I cycle a lot of ultra-long races from 1000 kilometers or more. Then you merge into a landscape. You're small, but you still manage. In this way I get to know landscapes and can incorporate them in my installations. Last summer I rode my bike through the Pyrenees. I had to cross a mountain top. What would it be like to place a work of art there, I wondered. Artists like Richard Long intervene in the landscape, but this place was already so beautiful, what else could I add?'

Temporary work contribution PPR
Om to help artists during the corona lockdowns to keep their professional practice up CBK Rotterdam launched the Temporary Work Contribution Production, Presentation and Research (PPR) for visual artists who are registered with CBK Rotterdam. Divided into two rounds in 2020 and 2021, eventually received almost two hundred artists a contribution. The result of the temporary work contribution is bundled in a magazine in which we, together with a few artists, look back and look forward. This is one of fifteen interviews from the magazine.

Text: Machteld Leij
Photo: Mark Bolk