Origin of the Beginning


Origin of the Beginning (2012) by Levi Van Veluw

About the artwork

The series 'The origin of the beginning' by Levi van Veluw consists of pictures, installations and videos in which he departs from his memories of his childhood which he allows to evolve into his self-portrait by following a thematic and narrative path.

In a room five people are sitting at a table. These individuals are Levi Van Veluw, his father, mother, brother and sister. The space is decorated like a life-size installation (4 x 2.5 x 2.5 m) in which everything, including the family members, are covered with 20,000 dark brown cubes (without any digital manipulation).
At first sight, everyone seems to be sitting quietly at the table, the image of a perfect family portrait. Yet this group of figures is placed in an abstract environment, unrecognizable and therefore far away from reality. Dim light and rather dark tones give this work a claustrophobic, gloomy look showing an atmosphere of loneliness.

The nasty silence and dark atmosphere expose the uncomfortable tensions and emotions. The endless repetition of wooden cubes represent Veluw's attempt to get over his own position within the family structure. This family reunion was organized at the request of Van Veluw after years of separation.

About the artist

image Levi Van Veluw °1985 Hoevelaken, the Netherlands
Lives and works at Arnhem, the Nederlands. - www.levivanveluw.nl

Education:
2003-2007 ARTEZ Institute of Fine Arts, Arnhem, the Netherlands
2006 workshop Erwin Olaf Springveld
2009-2010 Lecturer, Department of Photography, Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The photo series of Levi Van Veluw are all self-portraits, designed and photographed by himself: a solo process. His works constitute elemental transfers, changing his face into an object. The work you see therefore is not a portrait, but an information-rich image of color, form, texture and content. The image contains the history of a short creative process, with the artist shifting between the entities of subject and object. By putting a known element such as a ballpoint line in a new context, he creates a confusing conflict between the normal associations with the object and the new value that the object has received in its new context. The author and the object of these elementary transfers, Levi van Veluw, explains his method as follows: "I am sitting in front of a mirror with various objects and ideas. That day, the process will take shape and I create a new object that interests me at that moment". >Ronmandos.nl

Zebrastraat - Permanent artworks - Origin of the Beginning by Levi Van Veluw