Selected: Tjebbe Beekman at GRIMM, New York
A Dutch painter who blurs the boundary between abstraction and figuration, Tjebbe Beekman creates layered canvases inspired by art history, philosophy and architectural space. The Amsterdam-based artist, who graduated from the distinguished Rijksakademie in 2004, is back in New York for his second solo show in the city, titled “Tetris” after the 1980s two-player puzzle game that was first released in arcades and then as a video game.
The Tetris video game used falling forms, which had to be put in place to complete the puzzle and win the match. Taking that concept into painterly space, he constructs complex compositions with elements culled from a variety of art historical sources. Collaging previously rendered, abstract, cut-up parts onto painted canvas mounted on wood—with such added elements as rope, sand, newspaper, grit, and gold leaf—Beekman beautifully mimics the playing of the outdated-yet-coveted game to make contemporary masterpieces that reference art dating from the Renaissance right up to modern times.
