Catalogue Into the Labyrinth

Levi van Veluw creates self-portraits in drawings, photographs, films, sculptures and installations. His skin is usually hidden under a layer of grass, ink or wood. Sometimes he seems to have completely disappeared and the space depicted is filled with a kind of stardust. In these 'hidden' portraits, a human face becomes a stylistic object; a composition of patterns, materials and textures. The border between subject and object is blurred. Yet Van Veluw's work is very personal in nature. Memories of his childhood play a major role in the closed worlds he carefully constructs.

The claustrophobic spaces in which the artist pictures his alter ego are always a new arrangement of his childhood bedroom, as he remembers it. It seems as if Van Veluw tries to exert control over his memories, environment and life with these almost obsessive attempts. The twilight colours evoke a bleak, lonely atmosphere. By placing recognisable, everyday picture elements in a new context, a confusing conflict arises between the original and new associations and values that the object evokes. The craftsmanship and use of quality materials mean that the work, on balance, is very aesthetic.