Contemporary Temples is a series of mixed media paintings, drawings and prints. The aim is to research the formal qualities and aesthetics of functional and corporate architecture. Within this research, the relationship with the Freudian ‘uncanny’ or ‘unheimliche’ has been investigated, mainly through the use and experimentation of different media. Furthermore, it has been found that repetition of visual elements and the use of the right tone or colour are essential in evoking the uncanny. This is perhaps no coincidence, since Freud already mentions in his paper that the emergence of the uncanny has to do with the unwanted repetition or return of the same and to some extent the resulting feeling of being trapped. The latter has been investigated by depicting different types of enclosed spaces. A final element that is central to the works in the series is the presence of an oneiric atmosphere. This puts a soft cloak over the uncanny in the form of texture and the use of soft tones, but nevertheless contributes to it, as if the boundaries between a dream and everyday reality are blurred.
Etchings