Grace of Maybe

Since 2007, Alex Jacobs and Ellemieke Schoenmaker have worked together as the artist duo V&B. Combining historical references with new media and popular culture is a clear trademark of their collaboration.

For V&B, the Old Masters are a constant source of inspiration. Images, compositions, or poses are sampled and pieced together into a story about their existence as artists, both in the art market and the art world. This results in installations with lifelike self-portraits and paintings, virtuously executed in fiercely bright, glossy neon colors, in which the artists poke fun at themselves, the art world, and the desire for success. They raise questions such as: which artist breaks through, and why? And what on earth makes a good painting?

V&B’s love for old art lies mainly in their interest in the tradition of painting, craft, and technique. Looking at paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, one often notices how crowded they are. The duo shares that tendency to fill, to work with strong contrasts. From Rembrandt they might borrow a particular use of light, from another work a composition. They even borrow classical poses, such as Napoleon on a rearing horse painted by Jacques-Louis David. In their version, Schoenmaker sits on a bicycle with a paper hat.

The Grace Of Maybe is an exhibition featuring new work by the duo.