NAP+ | WALDEN

In WALDEN, M. Simons presents an exhibition of artists—Bernice Nauta, Joost Krijnen, Kristoffer Zeiner, Hadrien Gerenton, and Hans Hoekstra—who explore the relationship between humans and nature. Loosely guided by the 1854 book Walden, the exhibition delves into themes such as the Anthropocene, modes of self-reliance, and practices of reflection and meditation. The show seeks to challenge viewers to reconsider their role within natural ecosystems, echoing Thoreau’s call for a simpler, more mindful existence in the face of industrial and environmental change. By juxtaposing contemporary artistic expressions with historical reflections on nature, WALDEN encourages a dialogue between past and present approaches to environmental consciousness.

Murder Plants with Murder Plans is an installation of 5 plants sitting on barstools, made by Bernice Nauta in 2018. In her own her own words: One day I walked into a cafe and saw five plants sitting at the bar. They were known as murder plants with murder plans and plotting against mankind. They reminded me of how strongly moralistic science fiction narratives can be, where non-human species commit revenge murders on mankind. They took their revenge in response to the enormous droughts in the summer of 2018, during a global heat wave. Northern Europe looked like a Spanish desert. Everything green had turned yellow and brown. People were overheating, beaches were overloaded. It was best to drift in the ocean until you had wrinkles all over. Unfortunately the coastlines were filled with jellyfish, the cockroaches of the sea, who also drifted to the coastline due to this heatwave. The Murder plants were so thirsty and desperate, they decided to drink the strange liquids served in bars. It made them tired.

The large black and white canvas called Frutti di Mare by Joost Krijnen depicts a headless man floating underwater, carried away by fish that look strangely content with this body they’re pushing forward. Although it would seem logical that what they’re carrying is their dinner, the fish seem to first parade it around, like a sea platter at a fish restaurant. In his work, that largely revolves around drawing, Krijnen attempts to mend the frivolity that is often implied in drawing, with sinister subject matter, resulting in depictions filled with dark humor.

Lago, a lithograph created by Krijnen in the summer of 2024 at Nederlands Steendrukmuseum, is a depiction of a swan just coming out of the water. Taken from a scene Krijnen saw at Lago di Garda in Italy, he took the swan and put him in front of of a theater drapes, as if emerging onto the stage, emphasizing the Italian swan’s apparent sense of drama.

In Kristoffer Zeiner work we travel into a painterly and textural mystery—an otherworldly and colorful screen of dreamy imagery. Inspired by the contemporary fantasy genre, folklore, and  French impressionists. All his works are thought of as being aligned or connected, they vary at times limboing between abstraction, landscapes, and objects. Zeiners work is not representational but associative and invites the viewer to actively participate in. Process is a large part of Zeiner’s oeuvre. The artist makes his own oil paint, works with bare canvases and recently started making his own brushes with animal hair.

The central theme to the work of Hadrien Gerenton is hybridity. In the past he has turned komodo lizards into house pets, he made cacti grow from solid rock and wall structures that look as if they’re from an industrial plant overrun by a chemically infected moss, different mendings of Animal and human realms. Now, for WALDEN, Gerenton shows this this same hybridity, but one of tropical nature and modern art. Various tropical seeds are hanging suspended from a mobile. The mobile, or suspended sculpture is a artistic trope from Modernist tradition, used by artists like Duchamp, Bourgeois and Calder invoking a sense of weightlessness.

Hans Hoekstra, whose solo exhibition Gezelschap opens during the fair, has centered  his latest series on a singular subject: the houseplant. Renowned for his contemplative depictions of human figures in repose, Hoekstra shifted his focus to still life during the pandemic, exploring the silent presence of plants as a substitute for human interaction. The title Gezelschap—Dutch for ‘company’—captures the intimacy of these new companions, which Hoekstra dramatizes through bold, sweeping compositions that dominate the canvas. His work in this series is characterized by stark contrasts, with light and color pushed to their extremes, creating a vivid tension between brightness and shadow.

The title of the exhibition, WALDEN, has been derived from the title of the eponymous book by Henry David Thoreau. Walden, published in 1854 by Henry David Thoreau, is a profound reflection on the author's quest for simplicity and understanding of life's true essentials. Disenchanted with the prevailing norms, values, and economic structures of his time, Thoreau withdrew from society to live in a self-built cabin in the woods near Walden Pond. This retreat was not merely an escape but a deliberate experiment in self-reliance, aiming to strip life down to its barest elements. The book meticulously documents his two-year sojourn, offering readers a detailed depiction of his solitary existence and deep connection with nature.

Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America, just six years before the onset of the Civil War, Walden captures the anxieties and transformations of an era. Thoreau, a central figure in the transcendentalist movement, critiques the increasing materialism and industrialization of the 19th century. His reflections encourage readers to step back from societal pressures and reassess their own values, advocating for a life of simplicity, mindfulness, and spiritual fulfillment.

Initially met with modest acclaim, Walden has since become a cornerstone of environmental literature. It is widely regarded as a foundational text for the environmentalist movement, influencing countless readers to reconsider their relationship with the natural world. Furthermore, Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience, born from the same philosophical roots, has inspired leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, extending his influence far beyond environmentalism to the realms of civil rights and social justice.

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