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Highlighting individual artists from our exhibition Morphogenesis at Pulchri Studio, we turn our attention to the work of Baukje Venema and her art project Poetic Water.
"What does pollution do to nature, and how does humanity relate to these components? Can these three elements still be distinguished from one another? With these questions in mind, I ventured into the floodplains of the Ijssel to experiment with various media, striving to grasp this complex theme. I collected water samples from the Ijssel and immersed analog films in them for days, a technique known as 'film souping.' In an attempt to get closer to the subject, I plunged into the water myself, creating underwater videos. I directed models and posed plastic pollution in and under the water, treating them as if they were floating seaweeds."
The use of different techniques—analog, digital, and mobile phone—led to diverse narratives about drowned landscapes, water pollution, and humanity. These three components are then brought together in the ‘stacks,’ each telling its own story.
The visuals, by Baukje Venema and Wendy Eggen, were created in collaboration with the Millennium Jazz Orchestra and were part of the Poetic Water concert series. The photographic series was commissioned by Stichting De Stad Verbeeldt in 2024.
Information about the work on the exhibition wall:
Poetic Water visuals, video work on screen, 2024
Life in sea, print on Photorag paper on dibond, 2024, 100x65, ed. 1/1
Pollution, print on Photorag paper on dibond, 2024, 60x70, ed. 1/1
Details about the work on the top shelf in the display case:
Fragile, polaroid emulsion transfer on glass layers, 2025, 18x15, ed. 1/1
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