The dynamics of Ellen Rodenberg
In her artwork Ellen Rodenberg gives both
a differential as well as an apt dynamic picture of her progress.
Initially the artist was self-taught and
subsequently she continued at the Koninklijke Academie in Den Haag to obtain her Degree in Fine Art over
a two-year period.
Besides paintings she also makes
three-dimensional installations and videos; which have
been frequently used in music performances in the The
Hague underground scene where her videos have been shown as a part of the
overall programme.
This broad range of activities appears to
have consistently contributed to a painterly development, which has lead to an interesting new body of
work. In the paintings the previous formal characteristics continue to prevail;
they have been divided in four squares. In the four forms a different approach
is used, but throughout this approach in all four the same subject or motif
flows.
This subject is recognizable at times, at
times only partially and in a few works it disappears
from sight altogether enabling the painting to become a complete abstract
geometric canvas although through the transparent layers of paint it is still possible to detect
a suggestion of the original subject matter. In some instances
the subject matter deals with landscapes in which the spatial referential
remains. For instance: in a recent canvas the
landscape is divided in four sections unto which a disco ball is painted, which
in itself has again been divided in four different
sections and through this process the disco ball acts as a repository. If one wonders what exactly is going on here the fist
thing that becomes apparent that the internally divided and at times faded
landscapes are an important and informative element in her work;
as memories partially faded and tinted.
On the other hand
these elements have been sufficiently incorporated that the painting can be
seen as an autonomous abstract work. The cross, which divides the canvas, forms
an important part in the whole picture; the four approaches, separations appear
as an integral part of the canvas and structure and thereby further support each other’s context. The more flat painted canvasses strongly suggest the flag motif
and its suggestive countenance makes it an important theme in the artists work.
Ellen Rodenberg has also discovered a third dimension to
her work; the need to investigate her concerns with other means at her disposal
such as making installations out of Styrofoam and in which she employs toys, photo’s and small dolls to make
these spaces dynamic. Photographs made of these installations can act again as
a source of inspiration for new paintings.
In 2004 the artist began a web log ‘MULTI-IMPRESSIELOG’
where she noted personal observations and experiences and in doing so positioned herself in a different manner in the art world.
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In the new studio in de DCR a number of things took place in the development and
progress of her work. In the paintings a concentration unto two subject matters
takes place. Firstly a number of used motifs in the
work are erased and in doing so these abstract elements used in the process strengthen themselves The abstract elements flowing
out of the motifs are used in rhythmic patterns and again in these paintings
the aforementioned characteristics emerge: the canvasses are colourful, contain depth are dynamic and contain a
confrontation of different picturorial elements. Conflicting ideas move and collide in the pictorial space.
Photographs taken from the video
projections emerge subsequently as a source of inspiration for work to follow.
Paintings with text and in a flag pattern suggest
memory; filtered, coloured and fragmented. Simultaneously the paintings are completely abstract and the flag motif adds to its autonomous identity.
The way in which they are worked out refers to Modernism and even further to formalistic work.
This explorative way of working is extended in the current series: the
separating cross moves across the surface and in doing so it causes the divided
surfaces to become asymmetrical.
You could surmise and say that Ellen Rodenberg would like
to be called a painter whose idea’s
are formulated and executed in multiple and dynamic ways. She develops her ideas and themes in a constant state
of flux and motion and through experimenting with all sorts of different media
and techniques. The confrontation of her work with work done by others and her
own by form a continuous challenge in her work practise. The paintings which emerge out of this
process balance on the edge of figuration and abstraction which equally
occurred at the time of the transitional stage of Modernism: the tension found
in the opposites and the energetic research by the artist are visible in the strength of the paintings by Ellen Rodenberg.
Adaptation Ineke
Van der Wal
Taken from the original text by Kees Koomen of October 2010.
Following a Trail, Creating Texture
I don’t think Ellen Rodenberg is
just playing with the dozens of objects she collected during her residency in
Jogja, after I observed the way how she arranges the various plastic toys, such
as toy soldiers, tanks, cars, motorcycles, trees, flags, etc., on her
worktable. Her methods recall the joys of a child in selecting whatever she
likes and placing them into positions. This, collecting various objects that
caught her fancy, was the first thing Ellen did upon arriving in Jogja.
It was interesting when Ellen, an artist born in Amsterdam in 1955,
shared her worktable with her children. It is probable that we, adults, would
be annoyed with sharing the space, because the objects Ellen collected were similar to her children’s toys. However, Ellen partitioned
the table, drawing a clear boundary between her children’s playing area and her
own art space. This proves she was not just playing, as she was busy arranging
and rearranging, repositioning the various objects, while trying to identify
them and understand their symbols and meanings. Ellen is currently conducting
historical research on these objects that she will present as footnotes. There
is a deep conviction to follow the history of these objects. For instance, the
swastika is a Nazi symbol associated with the terrifying and oppressive Hitler
regime. However, this is not the symbol’s meaning for which Ellen is searching;
rather, she is focusing on the other meanings and relevancies that developed
and are used in other contexts. The swastika is also a devotional symbol for
the Hindus. These contrasting and contradictory meanings become the base for
Ellen’s research. She focuses her attention on the diverse perspectives of a
symbol. In essence, she wants to prove that any one symbol does not belong to
any specific group, language, or discourse, but rather a symbol can have
different meanings, uses and rites in different contexts. Ellen’s background in
painting explains how she views these objects in two and three dimensions.
At this point, I see Ellen’s unique artistic language. I think her
experience in conducting this unusual exploration provides a valuable
opportunity to witness the process behind a final product. The stability of
painting conventions that represent two dimensions on a canvas seem to be
shattered by Ellen’s exploration process. For her, process represents the basic foundation of the final product. She demonstrates how
a miniature landscape of flags must be seen from two visual aspects, i.e., flat and three-dimensional. Ellen’s artworks are
explorations of thought and intuition, a balance between mind and soul.
Sometimes, she intuitively seizes objects she finds without needing any
previous intense contemplation.
The final result of this process is an
installation in the Cemeti Art House exhibition
space. This is Ellen’s painting. Not a two-dimensional painting, but one with
volume that fills the space. Various compositions of objects are spread out;
some in miniature form, others that have been magnified. Dragon Ball, as a hero
from a Japanese comic series, is present in life-size form, in the four corners
of the simulation arena. The Dragon Ball character and a
number of other objects were chosen because they are cartoon figures and
are associated with strength or can be perceived as metaphors of authority.
This Landing Soon #7 project has enticed Ellen to become familiar with,
understand, or, to be more specific, play, with the
similarities and differences of cultural symbols. Three months is too short to
understand the cultural milieu of Yogyakarta, as the heart of the Mataram kingdom, which has a long history in the crossroads
of Javanese traditions, diverse religions and the
formation of a modern society. Of course, one of the unique features is how the
colonial Dutch presence in the past remains in buildings, language
and various cultural practices. Ellen is aware of this past from the
Netherlands, a European country that has complex history. Differences, similarities and various relationships in the past form a
kind of collective memory that can be recalled, forgotten, or become a symbol
ready to be deconstructed. These symbols may at one time have been sacred signs
of reverence and nobility, but now have assumed totally opposite meanings.
Symbols are the most articulate signs of a perspective or ideology. The use of
symbols in society represents a kind of undivided bond. The presence of these
symbols is a way of identifying and marking an existence. The need for the
presence of these symbols is as old as humanity, homo symbolicum.
During the period of her residency in Jogja, Ellen became aware that
following the trails of symbols was one way to get to know a new place, space and culture – both universal symbols, such as the
popular Dragon Ball, who everyone knows, regardless of territorial boundaries
and national ideologies, as well as symbols used actively in local contexts in
Yogyakarta.
This can be seen in the documentary photos and videos Ellen recorded of
various monuments, landscapes, plants, animals, and people that she felt were
potentially both similar and different. This recording process took place not
only in Yogyakarta, but also when she visited and made presentations in Solo
and Semarang. Symbols, in the context of Ellen’s search, are like a spider’s
web. The symbols exist in a structure and are experienced culturally. One
symbol is like a footnote for a supra-structure. I think Ellen stops here. She
guides us to the face of this symbolic structure. Perhaps “symbolic texture” is
more accurate. As texture, it becomes a composition. We can see this in a number of two-dimensional painting fields, where colors and lines form specific symbolic contours. What is
Ellen searching for through this long process that involves interpretation and
duplication of various signs? I think Ellen is one who ponders.
Beneath her methods in learning about a new place and culture, there is
another underlying process, as if she wants to redefine herself as a “new
symbol” in various forms of language play that are constantly in the process of
evolving
A. Sujud Dartanto 2008
(tekst:
Landing Soon #7 catalogue)