The images included in Ruth van Beek’s archive are constantly engaging in conversation. Repetition, rhyme, coincidences and parallels form the alphabet of an obscure language. Van Beek rearranges the pictures to create brand new images, but emphasizes the conversations between them. The same goes for van Beek’s upcoming solo exhibition at The Ravestijn Gallery, in which the grotesque gures that populate “the situation room” converse with one another. They are part of a scene, react to the room as if they were a Greek chorus, or confront the viewer directly. Van Beek subtlety transforms the exhibition space into an exuberant and ominous carnival. Abstract shapes are brought to life and make for a cast of exaggerated characters, turning the entire room into a masquerade.

All images ©Ruth van Beek