RAYMOND LEMSTRA: HORIZONS

NANZUKA is pleased to present Raymond Lemstra’s solo exhibition Horizons. This marks the artist’s first solo presentation in Japan. Raymond Lemstra was born in 1978 in Groningen, the Netherlands, and currently lives and works in Seoul, Korea.

March 13 – April 27, 2024

Lemstra’s painstakingly detailed pencil drawings reside in the realm between reality and the unreal. Initiating from our inherently facially-oriented perception (Pareidolia), which often leads to the interpretation of inanimate objects or random geometric arrangements as if they are looking back at us, Lemstra deeply engages in reconfiguring the relationships between the key elements of his imaginary subjects.

By employing both highly recognizable, meticulously rendered features such as clothing, hairstyles, accessories, or postures alongside abstract, often geometrically-based forms, viewers are prompted to perceive emotional resonance within otherwise artificial shapes.

The subjects of Lemstra’s portraits, surreal and emitting a distinctly unapproachable aura of sorts, invite both the artist himself and us viewers to venture into the world of the phantasmagoric.

"During childhood, one encounters many first meetings and experiences in life. These moments, elevated to magical heights by curiosity and imagination, remain etched in memory. However, as one grows older, the capacity for new amazement diminishes, and experiences that evoke surprise become rare. Through depicting a fantasy world where my characters come to life, I aim to rediscover the wondrous sensations reminiscent of childhood."- Raymond Lemstra

What Lemstra attempts to convey beyond classical aesthetics of precision, is the efficacy of the human imagination. Today, in times when technologies showcasing virtual reality such as VR and AR have become commonplace, Lemstra’s pencil drawings, rather paradoxically, serve to eloquently bring to light the analog yet more unfettered creativity of human beings.