Rijksakademie Open 2016
Jonathan van Doornum combines the domestic interior with the symbolism, visual language and decorative elements of religion. He plays with dichotomies, for example by incorporating influences of functional uses in sculptures that negate the functionality’ of these influences. He marries this formalistic approach to a fascination for the practical, everyday structures religion provides.
Basic architectural elements such as horizontal and vertical lines function as symbolic representations of faith and/or modern architecture.
Precise workmanship and artisanal sensibility plays an important role in Doornum’s work. For Original Sin (2016), for example, he constructed a towel hanging loosely on the wall out of several layers of MDF. He carefully carved out the very fragile residual material, exposing the deepest layers with the inlaid title.