Expect Nothing, Appreciate Everything
Acrylic and oil on linen
70 x 70 cm
+ video 15:24 min
> Sold
Translations and Interactions
Acrylic and oil on linen
60 x 60 cm
+ video 8:45 min
> Sold
Other Way Around #1
Acrylic, oil and tape on 300 g Hahnemühle
50 x 60 cm
> For sale
Other Way Around #2
Acrylic, oil and tape on 300 g Hahnemühle
70 x 100 cm
> Sold
Expect Nothing, Appreciate Everything, 2018-2019
With the series Expect Nothing, Appreciate Everything, Daan Roukens continued questioning contradictions that he experiences and what most people take for granted. In this case the disproportionate placement of the colours in the Google logo was the trigger that led to further research. Central to this is the contradiction between Google’s urge to categorise and the disappearance of spontaneity. A paradox that strongly resonates with his own patterns of thought.
In relation to his personal struggle with obsessive perfectionism, Roukens translated this research into a series of new abstract self-portraits. A dynamic interplay unfolds between clean, controlled lines and spontaneous, intuitive brushstrokes. Searching for the sublime experience of the in-between; the lines alternate, colours push back against the white, and the pattern is in constant conflict with its own disruption.
By transforming painted layers into sound and moving image, Roukens actively involves the viewer in his process. He not only reveals his working method but also invites others to experience the same inner tension.