JENS BUIS

For his “filmographic paintings,” Jens Buis works with analog film footage from (family) archives. From this he selects and digitizes various abstract images in an attempt to capture and relive fragments of memories. He then reassembles these frames through a lenticular print – a printing technique that allows you to see a different image depending on the angle at which you look at the print. Moving through space, the images seem to flow into each other and the works are different for everyone, depending on your position.

With his work, Buis tries to create a certain attraction, which he links to what French writer Romain Rollard describes as the “oceanic feeling,” in a letter to his friend Sigmund Freud. This sensation of presence, connection and a sense of ‘being one with the external world,’ Rollard considers the source of spirituality and meaning. A similar feeling was experienced by several artists who visited Marken around 1900. They were drawn to the special, overwhelming light and its reflection on the surrounding water.

Oceanic Reflections stems from Jens Buis' research on time experience, the sublime, nostalgia, and the influence of film, photography and digital technology on (collective) memories. He explores the interaction between the digital and the physical and emphasizes the importance of bodily presence in forming connections with the world around us.

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Supported by the Mondriaan Fund