Joost Vermeer ('s-Gravenzande, 1997) works from observations of spaces affected by corrosion, damage and decay and investigates how we react to the process of deterioration. By making paintings and sculptures that often refer to this form of retrogression he uses the work as a starting point for contrasts in the urban environment. His work does not result in direct answers or completed ideas but has an experimental character in which each step is a consequence of the previous decision. In his practice he makes various ways of this damage visible through observations of the material maintenance of his living environment. These often consist of studying spaces and objects that have suffered varying degrees of neglect. This element is a transitional process that fascinate Vermeer: it creates compositions in an architectural environment that in most cases was intended to remain invisible.
Destination Unknown 2024
New work ( to disappear is to become a ruin)
At the moment I am creating an installation consisting of multiple sculptures and paintings. The work researches decay and architectural neglect as an aesthetic and how we perserve what we find valuable. Which ruins do we leave behind when we disappear? How do we perserve certain layers or moments in time? The paintings and sculptures associate with these questions and offers a gateway for further questioning of these subjects.