Exhibition & Studio Visit: Marjolein Rothman

On Sunday, 22 November, Galerie DudokdeGroot is organising a studio visit with Marjolein Rothman. Following a visit to her solo exhibition at the gallery, a small group will continue to Rothman’s studio, where she will explore her oeuvre in greater depth.

For more information or to register: info@dudokdegroot.nl

Photography is an important point of reference in the work of Marjolein Rothman (1974), particularly its supposed ability to freeze time. In series of paintings that share the same point of departure, Rothman demonstrates the impossibility of capturing a moment and reveals how the meaning of an image shifts with every new glance.

The paintings are made in a single continuous session, with the focus on the act and performativity of painting. Rothman works quickly, concentrating on light and on the positive and negative space within the image. For Rothman, the moment of creation is decisive: it coincides with the time captured in the painting. The image often exists in an intermediate state; it emerges gradually, much like the development process of analogue photography.

For several years, Rothman has focused on this theme, further exploring the effect and meaning of light. Her most recent work is characterised by a strong contrast between darkness and light (chiaroscuro). Branches of leaves emerge from the darkness, creating compositions of contemplative beauty.

Rothman studied at the A.K.I. in Enschede (1994–1999) and was an artist-in-residence at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (2003–2004). In 2004, she received the Royal Prize for Painting. Her work is held in various private and public collections. In 2014, Rothman designed the image of the King for Amsterdam City Hall, and in 2022 she designed the commemorative coin marking the 150th anniversary of Piet Mondrian’s birth. Rothman lives and works in Amsterdam.