Raymond Lemstra

“Eventually, the memory of myself taking a fragment of the city at a specific place becomes subordinate to the long presence these remnants have had out in the world. The material’s state of deterioration has an unconventional beauty and invites us to imagine a long trail of memories and history – of the countless messages every generation leaves for each other throughout time.”

Lemstra’s imaginative fantasy characters evoke surrealistic compositions with the “illustrative nature of primitive drawings and sculptures” as he seeks to explore memories and feelings from childhood.

Using found black and white imagery as his starting point, which he refers to as a “spark”, the artist then proceeds to deconstruct the likeness until it reaches the point of abstraction. Through this process, human features are replaced with geometric shapes and stylised characteristics as he seeks to capture the very essence of the original spark.

“What I find interesting about these is the distortion as a result of selective emphasis; parts of interest are emphasised, unimportant parts reduced or left out.

For characters this means they come out big headed, where focus is on the face and the body is trimmed to its essential properties. I deliberately apply this primitive logic as a method. But I don’t apply it equally to all aspects of my work. Instead, I choose to use a very mature, highly laborious technique for the execution of my work. This contrast, between the naive and sophisticated, gives the work a somewhat awkward taste. A clash of intent, simultaneously assuming simplicity and complexity, randomness and reason, flaws perfection. The purpose of which is to inspire a sense of joy and discovery.”