The Clockshop

Art can allow us to see day-to-day reality as a wonder: this notion lies at the heart of Job Koelewijn's work. His art prompts an intensification of perception, which has both an alienating and calming effect; it invites us to reflect on (the symbolism of) life as it ticks away.

For The Clockshop Koelewijn has built a full-scale replica of such a store on Canal Street in Manhattan, and he lets it sway back and forth very slowly, like the pendulum of a clock.

The image could be regarded as a contemporary vanitas symbol. Nowadays it also brings to mind the moment at which the world seemed to come to a halt as a result of the pandemic, while time continued, elusively, to move forward at the same pace.