Marijn van Kreij

The processes of appropriation and repetition are a common thread running through the oeuvre of Marijn van Kreij (1978). In his drawings, paintings, collages, objects and sound objects, slide projections and videos, the artist takes iconic and lesser-known works from the 20th century and gives them a new context in the here and now. He presents these in thoughtfully arranged exhibitions, in which he often collaborates with other artists, writers or musicians.

Van Kreij’s works sometimes appear deceptively simple, like casual scribbles on a found piece of paper. In reality, however, they are the product of meticulous research into visual and textual sources from books and the internet, a lengthy process of looking at and thinking about images and artworks. His interest usually begins with a fascination for a certain visual language or motif. Van Kreij combines reproductions (or partial copies) of artworks and illustrations from children’s books with cut-out fragments of text and uses fluid brushstrokes to apply paint to pages from catalogues and magazines. 

Sometimes he utilises work by modernists such as Picasso, Matisse, Paul Klee or Bauhaus artists, while other times he might make use of photos of Kurt Cobain and pop lyrics. Rather than merely quoting or copying, Van Kreij reinterprets his sources via the creative process, the combinations he makes and his own painterly ‘handwriting’ and style. Through repetition and variation in the images and motifs, the artwork is stripped of its original meaning and something new emerges. See Untitled (The Painter, 1963). His work raises questions about the relationship between original and reproduction, between language and image, and about how art history can have an activating influence on contemporary art. Ultimately, he invites us to look again, more closely, and consider how we assign meaning to art in this moment.