‘‘Memento Vivere’’, Jacob Feenstra
(Gallery on Blueskin)
A NAIVE folkstyle approach is also a facet of Jacob Feenstra’s art, although to be fair this is just one of many threads that run through his largescale exhibition at Gallery on Blueskin. In all, the artist has presented nearly 50 pieces in a bewildering array of styles and media, ranging from screenprinted slogans and collections of found objects to repurposed cheap art prints and original oil paintings.
The works are divided roughly into three groups, with portraits occupying one room, landscape scenes of Waitati and the coast to the north forming the main part of the exhibition, and the gallery’s exterior annexe filled with more experimental pieces. The landscapes, in particular, are charming images, often depicting a small, seemingly insignificant human addition — a letterbox, a public toilet, a signpost — to an otherwise clear landscape. The works suggest a warning of our ability to fill the empty space and clutter the natural world. This theme is continued with several of the annexe works, notably three assemblages of objects found during the artist’s walks in the countryside.
The slogan works, in English, te reo and Latin, carry affirmations and warnings, some of them highly appropriate for the world of 2020, none more so that the titular
Mori/Memento Vivere.