Eady van Acker (1997) often ventured into the woods with her father as a child, where he taught her everything about nature: from plant species to recognizing animal tracks. Her art is strongly shaped by these excursions, and by the raw and overwhelming nature she encounters on her travels. In her sculptures and installations, Van Acker connects her personal experiences of nature with universal themes such as decay and resilience.
For the more-than-life-size sculpture in ceramic and steel that Van Acker created for Prospects, she drew inspiration from the weeping willow that stood in front of the house where she grew up. This tree plays an important role in her childhood memories. Even as a child, she was fascinated by its fairytale-like form. Willows are resilient and can live for more than a hundred years. Van Acker finds these qualities inspiring, as well as the way trees tend to merge with their surroundings. They do not allow their growth to be constrained by fences, buildings or even other trees, but often grow around them instead.
In addition to the tree from her childhood, Van Acker also drew inspiration from the idea of a living and a dead tree intertwined. Depending on how it is viewed, one tree appears to be draining the other of its life force, or alternatively, to be supporting it and providing nourishment. Van Acker’s sculpture at Prospects reflects on the melancholic beauty inherent in the cycle of life, death, decay and eventual return to the earth.
Text: Sarah van Binsbergen