Toon Verhoef
Untitled, 2021
Oil and acrylic on linen, 60 x 80 cm

Every time we look at a work by Toon Verhoef, we are left wondering what it is we are looking at. The pervading feeling is that it is correct, but actually, it is nothing of the sort. His work raises so many questions, and its engaging qualities intractably draw you in. When we discussed his work, we noticed that we often used the word ‘meditative’, which is precisely the sensation the work evokes in us. The painting reveals things in us that have long been concealed.

Each painting is preceded by studies on paper, collages containing packaging material and dried remnants of paint, of which he regularly posts photos on Instagram. From these images, Verhoef distils what is useful for his paintings. You could call Verhoef’s paintings abstract. However, in a certain sense, Verhoef’s work is related to the perception of reality because it is the origin of the images; a newspaper photo, a package or a photograph that he uses. Although Verhoef’s transformation of these images renders them no longer recognisable, the source material still haunts the image and, therefore, our perception.

The artist donated this work.