A thirst that from the soul doth rise
Erik Jeor's exhibition A thirst that from the soul doth rise offers an intimate series of watercolors of Madonna and child presented in various postures and settings. First and last is freedom, in an almost psychedelic manner. Through a contemporaneous, sometimes sketchy approach, echoes of Byzantine and Renaissance icons appear. Jeor makes the traffic lights alongside the Madonna feel completely natural. In an icon-like sense the meeting of face to face with the figures pictured creates an inverted glance, where the images behold the spectator. Here, the aquarelle is used to accentuate opposites; the water is sometimes playfully reduced, the pigments denser, with a wink towards oil painting. Fingers, a strand of hair, a glance is detached out of floating fields of colour, where the rainbow dips. Likewise, emotions oscillate between closeness and trust, wonder and even, maybe, dread.
To mark the occasion of the exhibition, a new publication is presented showcasing the past three years of Erik Jeor’s artistic practice. Featuring a curated selection of works and texts, the book offers a layered insight into the themes and processes of the artist's evolving body of work. Created in collaboration with Ateljé Altmann and Saskia Neuman Gallery, and with the support from the Längmanska Cultural Foundation, the publication serves both as documentation, as well as an extension of the artistic process.
