arwe · human behavior and his passion for the arts have merged into a unique creative vision, ......

UNFOLDING AMBIGUITYARWE

DRIVEN TO TEST THE DISCOMFORT WE FACE WHEN WE HAVE TO SHOW WHO WE REALLY ARE, ARWE’S IMAGES PIONEER STORYLINES THAT LEAD TO A DISCHARGE, A STATE OF FREEDOM.

MISSION & VISIONArwe’s passion for the arts started in his early twenties when he became an avid art collector. At the height of a successful business career, a burn-out caused Arwe to reconsider what was truly important in life. His fascination with a burn-out caused Arwe to reconsider what was truly important in life. His fascination with human behavior and his passion for the arts have merged into a unique creative vision, utilizing the mise en scene as his palet and the ambiguity of human behavior as his voice.Working closely with his models, Arwe searches for the moment when they are ready to shed Working closely with his models, Arwe searches for the moment when they are ready to shed their projected self-images and show who they really are. At this moment of release, he registers their true vulnerability and openness. In order to reach this state of release and freedom, Arwe lures his models out of their comfort zones with what he calls ‘dramatizing elements’, causing a conflict between the models’ assumed identities and their true self.

BIOGRAPHYArwe is the artist name of Richard Westerhuis (born in 1965). Arwe produces conceptual Arwe is the artist name of Richard Westerhuis (born in 1965). Arwe produces conceptual portraits in limited editions. In his work Arwe examines the ambiguity of human identity. The name Arwe sounds like a question. A question about who we are. How are you? 'I'm doing fine'. We all know this is not a real answer. It is a conditioned response that is socially acceptable. We put on a mask and give socially desirable answers and show socially acceptable behavior. We play different roles and show the behavior befitting those roles. But where is our true self? Does it even exist? 'Know yourself', Socrates said. It is the most important task in life. Arwe experienced the nullity and temporality of human existence during important task in life. Arwe experienced the nullity and temporality of human existence during his ocean voyages. Halcyon experiences and memories that are forever stored in his system. We are constantly on the move, but why? The vastness of the oceans gave him all the answers.

The permanent change of nature made Arwe realize that even when in a static situation, there is plenty to observe and experience. A pure state of being in which media, advertising and all other nonsense were lacking. Only at sea the resonance of the earth is still tangible. It is the oscillation that every living creature needs to be able to orient itself in order to find its 'track' in the world. On terra firma, Arwe utilized art to give expression this resonance. Even when he was not aware of it, art intuitively guided his path and success. Arwe's passion for the arts came to surface when he became an art collector at the early age of 21. His plans to complete a fine arts education were interrupted when faith decided he had to take another direction. In a fine arts education were interrupted when faith decided he had to take another direction. In 22 years, he created a highly successful business conglomerate in the Netherlands. A burnout made Arwe reconnect with his artistic roots and triggered his urge to explore human nature, using photography as his medium and human behavior as his voice. In 2016, Arwe decided to solely concentrate on creating art. He started exploring narratives based on his life experiences. His burnout experience became the subject of the series titled ‘Through the Second Skin’ (2017) which was well received by the public. Arwe is currently working on a second edition for the same series, due in the third quarter of 2018. Arwe has rapidly achieved second edition for the same series, due in the third quarter of 2018. Arwe has rapidly achieved the goals he set when he started as a conceptual artist. The decision to become a major influence in the fine arts scene has been reinforced by several awards and a number of solo- and group exhibitions. He is committed to spread his message around the world, be it in galleries, art fairs and through social media.

Arwe's body of work can be found at www.arwe.art.

The fabric varies in opacity from model to model. Sometimes we can only see glimpses of a figure beneath, a nose or an elbow or what may be a knee stretching the material around it. For others, we can see the silhouette and just make out the person’s identity. Then there are the models draped in the most translucent fabrics where you can see the emotion in their eyes, the ones that appear to be triumphantly breaking free from their barriers at any moment. While most of the models are solo, some photographs feature two or three people within one cocoon, lifting each other up and pushing them forward. While the journey “Through The Second Skin” honors is often a solitary one, these group portraits acknowledge “Through The Second Skin” honors is often a solitary one, these group portraits acknowledge the universality of the experience, and the strength it creates when we work together to push through these shields.

As the world becomes more and more chaotic, we retreat further and further into ourselves. A high speed, stressful life is what’s expected of us, and at times we withdraw from the world as a means of protection. We create a cocoon around our emotions as they grow ever more fragile. Even when we’re passing through the world, our shields are up, separating us from the people around us. In “Through The Second Skin,” this barrier becomes tangible. The models are nude, more exposed than ever, but by being provided with a fabric with which to wrap themselves up in, they can feel free and safe to be truly themselves. There is a dancer’s quality to the poses they strike, limbs reaching and backs arching to create dramatic forms with the to the poses they strike, limbs reaching and backs arching to create dramatic forms with the fabric. Illustrating pure amorphous energy and intimate human interaction. Focusing on the beauty of the fluidity of the fabrics and the ways it wraps around the body.

Ongoing series started 2016

THROUGH THE SECOND SKIN

Hair has been a powerful symbol for centuries. Not just a tool for changing fashions and styles, hair has long had connotations with politics, religion, and social liberation. For women, a change of hairstyle can indicate a willful change of identity, or it can be a marker of her emotional state. Unfussed with or covered hair is a sign of modesty, while elaborate updo’s are a sign of class, while short or shorn hair is often a political statement of rejecting her culture’s definition and oppression of femininity. For men, there is an anxiety over hair loss and fading color. Great steps may be taken to prevent or disguise them when they happen because they are not merely signs of aging but tied up in matters of status, capability, and prowess. signs of aging but tied up in matters of status, capability, and prowess.

So what happens to our identity when hair is not a factor? “Rubber Identity” is a series of portraits where the figure’s hair is hidden by vintage rubber swimming caps, relics from an age where progress and social liberation clashed wildly with conformity, norms, and tradition. The models are unnervingly visibly uncomfortable with the caps, when they are no longer able to affect their own character with their hair. While they are seated in classic portraiture postures, these images feel particularly vulnerable, exposed, and intimate. You get the sense that we are seeing them for exactly who they are, for perhaps the first time, because what does “being yourself” even mean in today’s world filled with artifice and disguise? These portraits investigate yourself” even mean in today’s world filled with artifice and disguise? These portraits investigate what that may mean, how we define our identity, and who we become when those factors are taken away.


RUBBER IDENTITY

Driven by a fascination with the ocean as a yachtsman, Richard Westerhuis investigates the fragile relationship between humans and nature in his series, “Whanganui.” There is a stunning disregard for the protection of our natural world, especially when it comes to its waterways. Directly and indirectly, human life is destroying nature and its waters, and yet our leaders continue to fail to prioritize investing in solutions to decrease our dangerous effects. Water is one of our most vital resources, and our bodies are composed mostly of water, but we do not respect our relationship with it. Inspired by the rare success story of the Whanganui River being granted human rights in New Zealand, this photographic series imagines a world River being granted human rights in New Zealand, this photographic series imagines a world where people and the waters around us are interconnected.

Thinking that our heedlessness for the sanctity of our waters is due to the distance we physically have to keep from the underground ocean world, “Whanganui” plunges models underwater to explore what lies beneath the surface. The serenity of the women’s faces and their gently floating hair and clothes creates a tranquil sight. There is a dreamlike, almost fantastical, atmosphere created by Westerhuis’ compositions and palette, and the women appear to almost be mythical creatures. The framing, use of light, and palette are drawn from Bill Viola’s “Five Angels For The Millennium,” inviting comparable reflections on the new era we seem to be at the brink of now. These photographs allow us, for a moment, to indulge in the seem to be at the brink of now. These photographs allow us, for a moment, to indulge in the fantasy of a world where there is a mutual respect between humans and nature, and our waters will finally be safe.

2016

WHANGANUI

“Back Buttocks Stool” subverts the tradition of portraiture by focusing on the back. These photographs challenge us to reconsider what parts of our bodies reveal the most about our identity. The backbone is so crucial to our body and the systems that support it, and here it is elevated rather than overlooked. The connotations of having someone’s back turned to you, the trust and intimacy it indicates, lend an emotional weight to these portraits as well. With the figures’ heads down and out of view, they appear at times introspective and at others distraught.


BACK BUTTOCK STOOL

series started 2016

In Perpetual Stillness Arwe crosses the boundaries between traditional portraying and contemporary portrait photography. The portraits are made in a dutch tradition with a modern twist. Perpetual Stillness reminds us of the paintings by the old Dutch masters. The lighting, colors and compositions we see are all similar to the works of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Only model Anne’s nose piercing gives away we are looking at modern day woman. Perpetual Stillness investigates if a portrait holds its own identity through the passing of time. Can a portraits identity really be everlasting?

PERPETUAL STILLNESS

arwe · human behavior and his passion for the arts have merged into a unique creative vision, ......

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