Buitenlanders en andere Papoea’s

Some time ago my friend, graphic designer Els Kort, noticed a picture of an old work of mine which I put on Facebook. I never exhibited the work which is part of a series about my childhood before. Els asked me permission to use it for a bookcover. She was convinced the “wild” painting suited the stories perfectly.

Kees Koomen: In de nacht – 1984
Acrylverf en oliepastel op papier

I thought this was a nice chance to attract attention to older work which nobody ever saw. The book is a collection of short stories by author Rob Verschuren. It will be published by In de Knipscheer in the Netherlands. I read some info about the author and I got the impression that this could work well so I gave my consent. This week Els sent the coverdesign:

I look forward to the publication of the collection of stories which is to be soon!

@ Hybrid Art Fair 2024

I presented four portraits from my series New Encounters in the EX-MÊKH exhibition ¿De Donde?. They represent people I notice on weekly walks to the Malieveld in Den Haag. I write a description in my telephone and mail it home. Then, in my studio, I paint the portraits in oilpaint on stone paper. I also write words from the texts in the painting. It is a hommage to Francisco Goya whose drawings and comments I admire greatly.
In the Petit Palace Hotel I presented two portraits on a background of text, written on the wall with one wollen thread and two portraits without backgrounds. Also, above the bed in the room I wrote a text with one red woolen thread: Her spine moved like a snake . The wall was almost black there with blue in it which contrasted beautifully with the red of the text. Maarten Schepers placed sculpture on the bed underneath which in one blink could have been paws of animals, maybe pre-historic, which would have suggested fossiles. On the other hand the work could also have been seen as flowers on a grave or a monument. This would have turned the bed into a place of memory. The contrast with my text, which to me has an erotic connotation, placed above the bed as it was, opened a lot of associations to me. It enables me to eleborate on this way of working.

Her Spine Moved Like a Snake
Maarten Schepers: Flowerfeet
A Sudden Fit of Melancholia
It looks Like They Are Dissolving
left: I Imagine Them Speaking French Inside
right: You Are Right, You Have a Good Point There