DOCUMENT is delighted to present Beyond purpose, Anneke Eussen’s second solo show with the gallery, opening November 1, 2024.

One could observe the art practice of Anneke Eussen as an ambiguous act. Eussen’s work draws our attention to the cracks and inconsistencies underlying the seemingly seamless picture of the world, or rather, the transparent and semitransparent screen on which it is projected. At the same time, Eussen’s oeuvre is restorative. It is about healing the cracks and wounds compromising our perception of reality. It implants ruptures and interruptions, while seeking to restore them.

– Ory Dessau

Beyond purpose is Eussen’s first exhibition to only show “glassworks”. The choice to do so, is a well-considered decision. In the words of the artist:

Purpose, in the sense of being beneficial, is an integrated concept in our constructed environments. I think it is linked to an existential need that thrives from the visionary intellect we all have.

The idea of what might be and what might happen in the future, if we only follow the right direction, will ultimately, hopefully create a feeling of having a purpose. Yet we understand that nothing can be grasped and claimed in the future, which places us in the trial and error mode when it comes to finding or creating purpose. On top of that, our systems of evaluation are always incomplete, since they are constantly transforming in accordance with how we perceive and experience life & society and what we leave behind.

The impact of time passing and the aspect that re-purposing is part of development and continuation, made me choose materials that have gone beyond their original purpose. In older works I was looking for the hidden narrative captured inside these materials. But lately I have been confronted with a new aspect; People that have seen my work or know my work are simply proposing to give me glass that they no longer need. The material is suddenly not ‘about something” it is somehow set to being fundamentally ‘about itself’.

A word I have cherished from speaking German during my stay in Berlin, is the word ‘Zeitgeist’. Which would mean something like ‘the spirit of our time’. ‘Zeitgeist’ was on my mind during the creation of all works for this show. The question about where we are now? Broken? Reshuffled? Transparent? Sharp? Stained? Observing? Navigating? Present? Beyond purpose?

– Anneke Eussen

Anneke Eussen utilizes the formal principles of Minimalism evoking geometric seriality, yet quietly deploys hidden narratives and secret histories in her work. Her practice revolves around cultivating and repurposing found materials into meticulously detailed and ghostly wall sculptures. Through layering, arrangement, and assembly interventions, Eussen is never manipulating the original shape of the objects and insists on using their original framework. Through overlapping industrial materials such as stone, glass, and metal, Eussen questions the linguistic and political construction of borders. The works emanate the tangibility of human contact, visualizing the sensuous connection between past, present, and future through our relationship with built space.

Anneke Eussen (born 1978, Netherlands) lives and works in Vaals, Netherlands. She studied at the Academy of Maastricht, Netherlands, followed by a post-graduate residency at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium. Solo exhibitions include Tatjana Pieters (forthcoming), Antwerp, Belgium; Kunstverein Schwerin, Germany; DOCUMENT, Chicago, IL; Marinaro, New York, NY; Tatjana Pieters, Ghent, Belgium; Cruise&Callas, Berlin, Germany; LSD Galerie, Berlin, Germany; and Highlight Gallery, San Francisco, CA. She has participated in group exhibitions including Horizonverticaal, Haarlem, Netherlands; HISK, Antwerpen, Belgium; DMW gallery, Antwerp, Belgium; and Lage Egal, Berlin, Germany; Park Platform for Visual Arts, Tilburg, Netherlands; and Fondation Villa Datris, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France.

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Tags: Anneke Eussen, Beyond purpose, Chicago, Document, West Town