OpZicht: Nathalie Mannaerts

2 March - 20 April 2015
Location: Hogewal 1-9, The Hague
Open: Monday - Friday, 11-5 pm; Saturday - Sunday, 12-5 pm
Closed: 5 en 6 April (Easter Sunday and Monday)

OpZicht is a presentation space in the lobby of Stroom Den Haag for newly registered artists from The Hague. The wall unit functions as a stand or platform where the artist can share his or her work, passion or interest with the audience. Each presentation runs for approximately 7 weeks.
Archive OpZicht presentations 2013-present

Text by Nathalie Mannaerts herself:

The painting that is the centerpiece of my OpZicht presentation at Stroom was made during my graduation year at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. It is based on a film still featuring Pippi Longstocking. When I made this painting a couple of 'accidents' happened on the canvas, that in the end gave the painting a kind of magical quality. I firmly believe that one shouldn't be afraid of failure in order to attain happiness.

As a child I grew up in a little village. We lived in a house on the edge of a forest. The life in this village was good and easy and the people were not very complicated. We children were left extremely free and spent our time playing in the forest, building huts in trees, seeking adventure and being up to all kinds of mischief. I was a big fan of the children's books of Roald Dahl and the TV-series based on the book of Pippi Longstocking by Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, both full of adventure, mischief and humour, reflecting my own world in a basic sense.

It was a childhood that made its mark on me. I have since my early youth always had an urge to go after adventure and I love the overwhelming feeling you get from raw, unspoiled nature. When I got to the age of 20, I realised that the world of adults was different, not as clearly defined, innocent or mischievous as the world I loved. I understood that I had to become an adult and accept the limitations that this implied, but I never quite succeeded in doing so.

My favorite Finnish artist Pekka Halonen once wrote: "To paint nature, is to paint oneself". I fully agree. My paintings are about the reluctance to grow up and about a deeper feeling of origin that we experience when we are overwhelmed by nature, preferably raw and unpolished, full of adventure... about to open up in front of us.

LINKS
www.nathaliemannaerts.nl

Until April 3 Nathalie Mannaerts' most recent paintings are on view in the Ministery of the Interior, Turfmarkt 147, The Hague in a group exhibition of graduates:
www.facebook.com/ARTtrium147

Until 10 April she has a solo exhibition in the Lipsius building of Leiden University:
www.facebook.com/Kunstgang

From 10 April her paintings move to Sanquin in Amsterdam for a solo exhibition:
www.sanquin.nl

Nathalie Mannaerts, 'Waiting', 2013
photo: Eric de Vries
Nathalie Mannaerts, 'Sky Blue', 2014
photo: Eric de Vries
Nathalie Mannaerts 'Cross Country - Tribute to Akseli Gallen-Kallela', 2012
photo: Eric de Vries
Nathalie Mannaerts, 'You Think We Have Similar Personalities But I Could Have Jumped', 2014
photo: Eric de Vries
Nathalie Mannaerts, 'Tribute To Thesleff', 2014
photo: courtesy the artist
Nathalie Mannaerts, 'Sold Lodge, Bought Caravan', 2013-14
photo: Eric de Vries