Fremdhaus at Maurits van de Laar

On first impression, the works seem like an unlikely pairing, but soon they begin to communicate to each other. Both painters convey a fascination with obscuring context and blurring boundaries. Govers has a very tight and structured way of painting in contrast to Freckmann, whose loosely applied oil paint tumbles somewhat haphazardly over the linen. Even still, her translation of imaginary space is wholly palpable to the viewer.

A stag mysteriously stands among bars of yellow and white which could be regarded as either  interior wallpaper or birch trees. If its one then it can’t be the other, as a fence also stands there, while trophied ungulates hover in the background. Plants appear frequently in Freckmann’s paintings, remaining a constant symbol of the outside world used as interior decoration. In the other works for Fremdhaus, she plays with us as we voyeuristically view her make-believe settings and private entertainments.

The architectures of Govers’ works are reminiscent of a high-definition, yet unrendered video game. Crisp edges and walls that begin and end, but never seem to come together in the right way. Govers adeptly layers his thick acrylic paint. The primed gesso under the paint is generously applied, giving the sides of the paintings a stiff peaked edge much like that of a meringue dessert. Overlapping lacquers on rustic shades of browns opposed by bright reds and turquoise blues make the paintings really pop. Gover is inspired by Matthias Weischer which is perceptible in terms of his use of forms, angles and dimensions.