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We all look, but what do we actually see? The work of Jildau Nijboer (1994) revolves around looking and perception. She is interested in the gaze inside to outside – literally, as when looking through a window, but also figuratively, from within. She continually questions how the frames from which we look shape our view of reality. As a child, Nijboer spent long periods indoors due to illness, and experienced the outside world through a window – a constricting perspective. Since then, windows and doors in her work have come to symbolize in-between spaces and passages to another reality. In this sense, they become eyes on the world.
Nijboer paints, photographs and creates installations. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, she asked people to photograph the view from their doors and windows. These images formed the basis for a near labyrinthine installation in which viewpoints constantly shift. She later travelled through the Baltic States to speak with residents of Soviet-era apartment blocks about their views. Nijboer incorporates these encounters and experiences into her art.
At Prospects, Nijboer presents a series of new paintings. Although paintings have traditionally been seen as windows onto reality, for Nijboer, they are also reflections: ‘A painting is like a water surface – it is a window onto depth and, at the same time, a mirror.’ It reflects inner movement while also consisting of a layering of surfaces that invite the viewer to sink ever deeper into the image. In this interplay between looking and reflecting, time seems to slow.
Written by Esther Darley