Base-Alpha Gallery. Dunsmuir. (Solo)

17.12.2009 – 27.02.2010
Dunsmuir, solo show at Base-Alpha Gallery, Antwerp

Dunsmuir is a small town in the mountains of northern California. I accidentally passed through this town on a road trip in the summer of 2009. I was only there for less than five minutes, but this was apparently enough for my imagination to run amok. See the animation at the bottom of the page.

The image below is the image for the invitation of the exhibition. It was used because at the time of printing these invitations I had no clear idea about how or what the exhibition would look like.

 

 

I only had some elements and a vague idea of an atmosphere, combined with some books I was reading at the time. I had only one-and-a-half week to build up. The walldrawings were designed and drawn in that period. Normally I like to work with Indian ink, but this ink is difficult to paint over so, out of consideration for the gallerist, I used acrylic wallpaint.

 

There are two interesting facts about the town of Dunsmuir. On the website of The Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center there’s this statement:

“Whether you are looking for adventure and excitement… or rest and relaxation… your adventure begins in Dunsmuir. One warning: If you visit Dunsmuir, you may never want to leave your “new home” again.”

Not long ago one of the friends I made in California left a message on my facebook wall:
“Just drove through Dunsmuir today on my drive back from Oregon and thought of you. 899 miles of clear sky, and 1 mile of thick fog surrounding Dunsmuir.”