BravinLee is exhibiting the portraits of Philip Akkerman in collaboration with graphic designer Dennis Koot. Koot has designed a series of framing elements in reaction to Akkerman’s paintings. The frame is often thought of as a delimiting device. But in the hands of Koot/Akkerman, the frame behaves like a portal extending the image into a new environmental surreal realm. Dutch-based Akkerman and Koot will be at the opening on Thursday, March 21st, 6-8pm.
Philip Akkerman and BravinLee’s friendship and collaboration go back to the early days of the 1990s. Certainly, the obsessional aspect of painting only easel-scaled self-portraits has been a convenient hook to explain and understand his work. Yet, this is only the jump-off point to understand his life pursuit. Akkerman says: “The meaning of life is making a self-portrait. Existence is a blind force, that only through mankind can see and contemplate itself.”
