As an abstract painter, Ine Vermee (born 1955, Tilburg, NL) can be associated with the abstract geometric and minimalist art originating in the 1950s and ’60s. Over the past few decades, she has consistently and intently worked on researching white painterly fields in relation to their surroundings. Her laser focus on that field of white exudes courage. The courage to find a wealth of possibilities within a given constraint. She comments: “In this age of excessive auditive and visual stimulation, the work is an attempt to realise moments of reflection and contemplation.”
“My work demands concentration. Those who are willing to engage will see the world with renewed intensity. To me, viewing and reflection are as essential as creation. I mostly work in white, as I associate it with a wealth of visual experiences. White will take on any colour of the rainbow and reflect it back. You could say I’ve swapped working in colour for working with light. My approach is focused on techniques and materials that affect light, colour and shadow in a variety of ways. Artists from the Zero movement and minimalism will always be an endless source of inspiration to me.”
Light chapel
At the invitation of the h3h biennial curators Hendrik Driessen and Rebecca Nelemans, I’m making an outdoor pavilion, an oval “chapel” measuring 5.5 × 3.5 × 2.5 metres. The outer construction with its rhythmically placed gaps encompasses a white inner wall, referring to the old Chinese symbol of yin and yang. As it doesn’t have a roof, the sky is visible from inside. The ever-changing light coming from the skies, clouds and sun transforms the white in the pavilion, heightening the experience. Viewers can step inside the work and walk around in it, not just submerging themselves in the various aspects of the work, but actually becoming part of the interplay of light, shadow and colour refractions.
For this project, I’ve sought to create a suitable architectural translation of my work, with hard lines and rectangular shapes forming a single whole with the softer lines and forms. Upright wooden panels of the thermically modified hardwood Fraké Noir form a perforated outer wall. Standing in the middle is an undulating white partition that will capture the constantly changing light.
After years of drawing from insights from architecture, my work is now taking on an architectural shape of its own. I would have preferred a steel inner wall, but this wouldn’t have fit the budget for a temporary exhibition. To get the shade of white just right, I’ve looked into the work of Wim van Hooff, painter and advisor of Dom van der Laan, who has also contributed colour recommendations to Heilige Driehoek. I will determine the definitive shade of white based on this research when the chapel is installed outside, with the sunlight playing a decisive role.
The central theme of this work is the cyclical nature of light, which is my way of reflecting on the theme of this h3h biennial, Faith.
Studio visit Ine Vermee and sketch work.