Forest Fruit
Interactive art at the Puppet Theatre
Using themes associated with childhood fairy tales, artist Naomi Kerkhove uses a range of multimedia to convey the carefree attitude shared between children and perhaps shine some light into the dreary society adults live in. Each piece of work depicts a playful interpretation on life, something which we forget as we pass through each stage of our lives. Kerkhove strives to bring this joy and happiness back to us, and wholeheartedly succeeds in doing so in a number of ways.
Through restricting the maximum capacity of the exhibition to 15 people, the level of intimacy between the work and attendees is heightened. There is more time to deliberate, to reflect upon pieces and to understand on a larger scale what Kerkhove is attempting to portray. This intimacy is additionally replicated through the use of a range of media - varying from paper cut out birds to textured rough, yet delicate landscapes. Unlike other artists, Kerkhove avoids the notion of being 'deep and meaningful' through being pretentious and overzealous and uses her playful attitude to speak for her views. The work is defiant in its intention, encouraging viewers to partake in thinking creatively.
Although Forest Fruit may be more interesting to some more than most, the nature of this work is to inspire by any definition of the word, whether that may be creating personal artwork or tackling situations differently. As children we are encouraged to become dedicated to topics most do not enjoy and leave ourselves open to unwarranted stress at a young age. With Kerkhove at the wheel, this angst will surely be undone and turned into a state of bliss.
9/10
