When You Say Yes, I Say No, 2020
When You Say Yes, I Say No is a reaction to Roukens previous series Say Yes When You Want To Say No from 2016. In this, he follows the existing pattern, but searches for more contradictions to counteract himself. By adding circles to the squares and reuniting overlapping pieces. The loose brushstroke takes on a more prominent role as a counterbalance to the sharply taped forms, in an attempt to let go of control within a controlled system.
To draw the viewer into this ‘in-between experience’, Roukens has made the painting process transparent. In When You Say Yes, I Say No #1, the rules and freedoms are literally shown on the painting. Both paintings mark the beginning of a new type of work: the ‘in-between works’. Unlike his series, these works are the result of smaller ideas or experiments. The term ‘in-between work’ is therefore not only a literal translation of an interim project, but also refers to the specific moment Roukens is searching for: the tension between one thing and another.