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In Lieve van Meegen’s (1994) work, life and art are inextricably linked. To Van Meegen this fundamental attitude shows similarities to that of the octopus, a creature whose brain stretches out to the very tips of each of its tentacles. Unsurprisingly, the octopus is a leitmotiv in her work, for instance showing up in the shape of painted octobodies: two human forms that appear to be melting into a single torso with eight limbs, allowing them to optimally connect with each other and the world. Van Meegen uses this ultimate connection to reflect on how we ‘in the Western world are losing our sense of connection, even though we want the exact opposite.’
Van Meegen sometimes paints the outlines of two partially overlapping bodies to create an octobody. But Metazoa (2023), the work displayed at Prospects, is the result of a physical action in a studio during which Van Meegen and a fellow artist painted each other’s outlines while lying on top of each other. The directness of this action is clearly recognizable in the work and further emphasized by the wild, smudgy background that betrays a history: it is the outcome of erasing an earlier painting. As if it were a ritual, the artist first scraped and scrubbed the canvas clean with green soap and subsequently allowed it to blend in with the new depiction. The work Care (2024) also speaks of connection, although in this case the lively movements can also be associated with death; to the exact moment when body and soul are separated and dissolve into their surroundings forever.
Text: Esther Darley
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)