Marinda Vandenheede, Pars Pro Toto - Absence I, 2021, Ink on book pages from 1889, 29.7 x 43 cm, 11 3/4 x 16 7/8 in. Photo: David Samyn
Re:Generations is an online exhibition of the curious and quietly enchanting works of Belgian artist Marinda Vandenheede. From March 3rd, the Ronewa viewing room presents Vandenheede’s sculptural objects and paper works that repurpose found objects marked by use and time, and attest to the beauty of wear and decay.
The objects that find their way into Vandenheede’s studio are humble, seemingly mundane artifacts that bear traces of a past life. She is drawn to materials weathered by nature and vulnerable to erosion, such as wood, paper, and metal. Oxidized surfaces, smudges and stains, scribbles, tears, and nicked edges are preserved and treasured by Vandenheede as she reforms these worldly fragments into works of art that stir the imagination.
Vandenheede introduces geometry, symmetry, and repetition in her redesign of objects that follow their own formal logic. On the yellow-edged pages of a legal encyclopedia from 1889, painted monochromatic graphics intersect and obscure printed text. Wooden rulers and measuring tapes are dissected and neatly assembled into configurations that undermine their function. The abundance of measuring equipment among the selected works points to our corona-era preoccupation with distance and the sense of control it affords. Vandenheede’s playful juxtaposition of formal elements and found materials nods to the inherent dualities found within humanity and nature. Her works are an invitation to stand still and take in their intricacies, and in this stillness find wonder and contemplation.
Marinda Vandenheede lives in Waregem, Belgium, where she also studied fine art. Her practice is influenced by the truism that, as humans, we are inseparable from nature, while her early training in graphic design is visible in her sense of composition. Her works have been shown internationally, including in Belgium, France, Spain, the UK, and Ukraine.
Vandenheede’s practice embraces imperfection, atrophy, and stillness. It is a rejection of perfection, disconnectedness, and consumerism. “I use discarded, ‘out-of-use’ things, that no longer meet the exacting standards of our Western society, giving them a new life as works of art.” Layers of time and narrative potential are embedded in her materials. She invites viewers to take a moment to be still and to take a deeper look.
