Work by Dutch artist Hendrika ter Elst is included in the group exhibition Anywhere But Here. Curated by Slow Burn NYC, and presented by The Canvas on The Bowery from March 22 through April 26, 2021.

Artist Statement – ‘A Poem of Quiet’

“This series travels from memories of the farm I grew up on in the Netherlands to the beauty of the Hudson Valley. The indoor images are of a place deserted, void of activity, void of human or animal life, a silent witness to a long history. The abstracted close-ups and wider landscapes, the open space inviting, as if tempting a butterfly to leave it’s cocoon.”

Hendrika ter Elst, Boodle Hole/Greeks Field (2020). Courtesy of the artist

The process: Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes we know of. It is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print. This photographic printing process uses the power of the sun’s UV rays for exposure and creates ferric ferrocyanide, also known as Prussian Blue (named for the color of the Prussian military uniforms.) The cyanotype process was widely used to create copies of technical and architectural plans, and these prints were called blueprints; even though it is no longer used in that capacity, any construction document or detailed plan is still referred to as a blueprint.

Hendrika ter Elst, Boodle Hole/Winter (2020). Courtesy of the artist

"When we look and see, the mind identifies, classifies and stores what we are looking at. The more common an object, the shorter this trajectory. A lemon is a lemon, the brain does not have to investigate, the process is fast. I am interested in re-looking, 'recycling' the images of the tradition of still life painting. Although inspired and influenced by the Dutch masters from the 17th century, my approach is markedly different. Still life painting of that era was a depiction of wealth and status. My compositions are stripped of 'precious' objects and identifible backgrounds. The objects themselves reveal only themselves, leaving the viewer with her or his own associations. I love the challenge to arrest a moment in time that in itself is timeless". Hendrika ter Elst

Anywhere But Here is a group exhibition curated by Slow Burn NYC, featuring artists of varying levels and experiences, both local and International. Including individual and collaborative work, each artist explores the theme of escapism and the vehicles used to achieve detachment, relief and fantasy, specifically through the lens of distancing from or transforming reality. With the uncertainty of life during Covid-19, there is a lack of daily consolation, creating a strong urge to escape. This group exhibition is one of many ways in which we can acknowledge our current cultural state and arguably, our unified societal coping mechanisms.

Hendrika ter Elst, Boodle Hole/Spring 2 (2020). Courtesy of the artist

Slow Burn NYC, founded by Julia Sub & Michelle Nguyen in 2017, provides young artists with accessible and collaborative opportunities to show work in a gallery setting without the typical constraints associated with traditional art institutions. Slow Burn aims to bridge the gap between individuals of varying levels, forge a network of curious artists, and ultimately provide a space to share work in the form of group exhibitions. Slow Burn works with local studios, stores and alternative spaces to create unique DIY-style art events in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Canvas transforms vacant spaces into hubs focused on ethical fashion and sustainable development. Their mission is to empower rising, ethical businesses from around the world and provide them with access to global markets, services and technologies to stimulate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The Canvas has locations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on the Bowery in Manhattan and in Antwerp, Belgium. Their design community includes over 170 brands from six continents.

Participating artists

Alonso Cartú | Angel Davila | Arthur Midianga | Audrey Densmore | Blue J | Brian Bixby | Brian Wenner & Matt O’Hare | Catherine Lentini | Carmen De Vos | Cezar Mocan | Charles Osawa | Chelsea Ramirez | Dave (The Dtore) Liberatore | Dustin Chan | Eamon Murphy | Elisabeth Dubrovsky | Emilie Decena | Erin O’Flynn | Eve Saint Jean | Fann Xu | Gu | Haley Moore | Harold Lee | Hendrika ter Elst | Izzy El Nems | James Hsieh | Jeannie Rhyu | Jesse Egner | Jordan Allen | J.R MacKinnon & Josette Bonilla | Julia Sub | Kerry Phelan | Lucas Lovejoy | Mary Evangeline Guadalupe Rubi | Mary “Murph” Lindberg | Matthew Burbridge | Michelle Nguyen | Natasha Timm | Nicole Pollina | Paulina Freifeld | Rebecca Shapass | Salma Olama | Samuel Bennett | Samuel Tejada | Sara Minsky | Sarah Ballard | Shana Crawford | Stella Stone | Stoffel Beyens | Vilma Clausen | Watson Mere | William Sanders | Zehra Abedi | Zoe Schwartz