The opening exhibition at ‘Art on Sunday’ is a retrospective of the works of Agnus Gastmans, produced in Auroville between 2001 and 2010. Earlier works are presented by means of a video-presentation.
Agnus Gastmans
Early years
After her studies at the Autonoom Instituut Kunstambachten in Antwerp, Agnus exhibits her first works at the "Kultur und Bildungswochen" in Zirndorf, Germany, in 1959. After that, her works are requested and exhibited by galleries and exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and The Netherlands and, more recently, in Mumbay and Auroville.
Agnus’ favorite way of expressing herself is the collage. Often, she is inspired by ‘finds’: a worn and dishevelled piece of cloth, a school notebook from a past era, an old letter - accidental records of the past which somehow move her. She takes these finds and works them into her collage in her own unmistakable style, expressing her vision, often with an almost provocative disregard for the sentimental value of the object.
As for her techniques: she obviously likes to use gold leaf and has a striking tendency to escape ‘out of the frame’: often, elements of the collage extend beyond the (always large) passe-partout. At first, this happens almost accidental: as if, after completing and framing the work, she wanted to add something that was still missing. In later years, the passe-partout becomes an integral part of the work. This struggle with ‘the frame’ or ‘being framed’ gains in depth against the background of the – rare – oil canvasses she produces during the 70’s: rasping, obviously very personal, works loaded with an oppressive pessimism. Although not very ‘engaging’ in the usual sense of the word, these works are nevertheless testimony of her considerable abilities to convey her emotions to the viewer. Her later work could be seen as the result of a happily successful transformation of helpless bitterness into a lively and empowered rebelliousness. The tone changes from harsh to nostalgic and poetic, without ever becoming sentimental.
A new source of inspiration
In the 90's she makes many trips to Auroville and after settling there her works once more undergo a change; not a drastic one, but one that can be seen as the culmination of what she has been working toward. The ‘accidental finds’ of human origin make way for ‘accidents of nature’: she takes to putting iron plates outside to let them take on rust, and takes inpiration from the patterns to paint her vision on the rusty layer. Inspired permanently by the poem Savitri, these works testify of harmony and light and warmth, but also of struggle and brokenness and of the unpredictable interventions of life. More then any of her earlier works, these paintings lovingly engage the spectator in a personal quest. By now often exhibiting her works jointly with her husband, Henk van Putten, the complementarity and ensuing harmony of their almost diametriccally opposed artistic languages enhances the impact of both artists. In Auroville, Agnus for the first time enjoys first the company of, then collaboration with other artists. She is part of a ‘group of five artists’ who regularly convene and jointly present their work on several occasions. She returns to her old love of ‘paper’ in a truly collabarative work with Meneghetti Luisa and Hervé Millet, initiators of Auroville’s ‘paper works’, in producing a ‘book’ like no other book, a book that should be read by eyes, hands (careful!) and the heart.See also Agnus' website at: www.agnusgastmans.com
