How do you experience art? Do you look at the work first or do you turn to the accompanying text? How long do you actually stand in front of a work of art, and do you think it important to know the message of the maker? These questions interest Marinke van Zandwijk (1987). In the exhibition Inflatable Thoughts at the National Glass Museum in Leerdam she explores to what extent visitors give free rein to their own thoughts, or whether they are mainly guided by the story of the artist or the museum where the work is presented.
Van Zandwijk stands out because of her dual role as a glassblowing artist. Her visual language is also special: Van Zandwijk always works with glass bubbles. These bubbles form the building blocks of her installations. When the bubbles come together, often combined with other materials, an image is created that is further shaped by the space and environment in which the work is shown.
The exhibition Inflatable Thoughts consists of a large number of installations made of glass bubbles inside and outside the museum. Marinke van Zandwijk has created three large new installations for Inflatable Thoughts, inspired by the famous Rorschach test. In this psychological test ten plates are presented with abstract, symmetrical shapes, created by folding a piece of paper with ink stains in half. What you see in these images could say something about your character. Just as the ink stains are meant to expose the psyche and the inner experience of the viewer, Van Zandwijk plays with perception and interpretation. Each installation evokes associations that can be different for each visitor. What do you see? A shape, a feeling, a memory?
Because Van Zandwijk usually works very intuitively and shapes her bubbles freely while blowing, it was a new experience for her to work from an existing image. This forced her to work in a different manner, much less freely than she is used to. The Rorschach plates are always symmetrical, and so Van Zandwijk blew – as best as possible – the same bubble twice, but then in mirror image.
The title Inflatable Thoughts refers to more than just blowing bubbles. It symbolises the blowing up of ideas, stories and thoughts. With her work, Van Zandwijk provides a starting point or a lead; the viewer can further develop or magnify this to a meaning that fits within his or her own world of thoughts.
Want to know more about glassblowing? Combine your visit to the exhibition with a visit to the hotshop, where you will be able to see how glassblowers create a variety of objects from molten glass.
Nationaal Glasmuseum
Lingedijk 28-30
4142 LD Leerdam