TOUW, Liesbeth - It Skips everytime I Touch It (Part of Paradise How)

"'Paradise – How', is my long-term search for a definition of Paradise. In both the world within me and the outside world I have noted the typically human activity of kneading life into a form, with the aim of achieving completeness and freedom. A search that has yielded not only many successes, but has also met with numerous obstacles and defeats.

My quest has become a focal point in my life and my longing is to get a firmer grip on it. In my paradises I explore the boundary between reality and longing, and the blurring of this boundary. During this exploration, I am compressing contrasts into installations and images that are present in the space in a physically conscious manner. I am exploring this idea by switching from a two-dimensional perspective to a three-dimensional one and vice versa, choosing an abstract approach and a minimalist language in terms of shape to emphasize the ‘unattainable’ completeness of paradise. Through the compelling addition of realistic elements I am drawing this ‘unattainable’ completeness into the tangible world.

In the recent past, delays and complete attention during the physical creation process have begun to play an important part. At the same time, my work is gradually undergoing a shift in focus from outwards to inwards. In this I am referring not only to an interior journey, but also a shift towards the mental and intangible.

I aim to continue to further work out the distillation of my search and thoughts about Paradise How. I have a preference for concentrates: I want to free myself from white noise and side-paths to become closer to and more aware of what lies at the core of ‘unattainable’ completeness. It is my aspiration to raise this above merely the awareness of the search. An attempt in this direction is the work 'Self-Portrait as a Lemniscate'." (© Liesbeth TOUW, 2015)