“POPPED UP”

“Popped Up” Louis Van Den Heever’s first solo exhibtion at Art Eye Gallery. The exhibition opens on the 12 April 2018.

“Ideas pop up. Magically. From somewhere(or is it nowhere?) they bubble to the surface with total disregard for convenience or relevance.

This body of work represents my take on some of these ideas that happened to cross my path. I can’t really claim them as my own. They pop up and I then document the ones I like. I can’t force them to come or try to get better or even different ones. They won’t stick to one theme either. My job is to see and recognize them, to remember them (harder than it seems!) and then to present them as best I can.

Although some unfortunate ones crash & burn in the turning-them-into-art-process, most ideas evolve and grow while waiting in the TO-DO list. Once I let them slip out onto canvas or turn them into a sculpture, they become “mine” and I have to then face the consequences of letting them out. They are blurry snap-shots of me.
Ranging from good to terrible, from deeply insightful to absurdly shallow, this collection is what it came down to. Whether I like it or not.

To some it might seem lazy to just do whatever comes up as opposed to exploring a single theme (as a lot of artists seem able to do), but for me that has always been the most natural and honest way to express myself. I find the not knowing what’s next, followed by the unexpected revelation of a fresh new project to be a never-ending, free-flowing ride. It’s what keeps me coming back for more. Every time.

The common thread that ties this seemingly random and bewildering array of artworks together is that they were once ideas or experiences that chose to pop up in my vicinity, got filtered through my personal opinions & viewpoints, and then somehow made it out into the world as art.” Louis Van Den Heever