Velvet Forest

TORCH is happy to present simultaneous exhibitions by two talented young artists: Krijn Kroes and Mees van Rijckevorsel. This is the gallery's first collaboration with both. Despite working with different materials and different intentions, the artists share surprising pictorial similarities: both Mees and Krijn are concerned with patterns and abstractions of well-known themes.

The oil paintings by Krijn Kroes (1994, NL) are to be experienced more than understood. There is no singular truth to be found in these black surfaces, mysterious faded shapes and not-quite-symmetrical patterns. Rather, Krijn suggests a mystical universe where emotion and imagination are superior to knowing and understanding. In the darkness, shimmers of light expose the few recognisable elements and create reflections that seem to bring a third dimension to the canvas.

Krijn grew up surrounded by nature on the Veluwe, and the plants and leaves in his pieces are references to this background. These paintings are the artist's attempt at capturing the mystical or spiritual experience of being one with nature.

Krijn Kroes followed an agricultural study and worked as a florist before graduating in Teaching and eventually Fine Art from Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) in 2020. He has since exhibited at Galerie Ron Mandos (Best of Graduates), Galerie Pouloueff and Root Gallery. Krijn also makes sculptures, which provide him with a different way of approaching his subjects.