Just a stone’s throw from the Fries Museum, Galerie de Vis surprises passers-by this summer with the curious world of “Cirque de Pepin”. From 15 June to 23 August, the The Hague artist Pepijn van den Nieuwendijk exhibits in the Etalage Leeuwarden at Zaailand a wonderful experience with ceramic sculptures, paintings and drawings. Part of the installation is a large wall painting. The exhibition is the fourth in a series that started in 2018, when Leeuwarden was European Capital of Culture.

Van den Nieuwendijk’s work is imaginative, with brightly colored, cartoonish and sometimes macabre creatures, Chinese dragons, fat dodos and small monsters. History, dream and delirium come together. References to Chinese porcelain and Delft blue are a recurring theme in his work. For example, he investigated the origins of Delft blue in Jingdezhen, among others, and penetrated to the core of ancient porcelain techniques. The techniques learned in China culminate in several sculptures and three-meter-high porcelain vases that he painted with sea monsters.

With his surreal ceramic sculptures and oil paintings, “Pepin” takes us into his fairytale world full of mystery. His work is playful and colorful, but never simple: historical and art historical backgrounds can be recognized. His sculptures can be found in public spaces, for example in Rotterdam. He also recently made a series of wall paintings for the ‘Wonderkamers’ in the Zeeuws Museum in Middelburg.

Curator: Adriaan Rees

The exhibition “Oceans of time by Cirque de Pepin” in Leeuwarden can be seen from Monday, June 15 to Sunday, August 23, 2020. Galerie de Vis in Harlingen is open on Saturday during this period by appointment.

Galerie de vis will also show work by Pepijn in parallel to the exhibition in the shop window.

Pepijn is also represented by gallery Untitled in Rotterdam and gallery Nasty Alice in Eindhoven