Jan van der Ploeg
(Dutch, b.1959) Jan van der Ploeg‘s work expands the boundaries of contemporary geometric abstraction, bridging painting, design, and architecture. He develops his works simultaneously on paper, canvas and in wall paintings, seamlessly crossing boundaries between these spheres. His approach is rooted in early 20th-century movements, most notably De Stijl and Bauhaus, which first proposed ideas…
(Dutch, b.1959)
Jan van der Ploeg‘s work expands the boundaries of contemporary geometric abstraction, bridging painting, design, and architecture. He develops his works simultaneously on paper, canvas and in wall paintings, seamlessly crossing boundaries between these spheres. His approach is rooted in early 20th-century movements, most notably De Stijl and Bauhaus, which first proposed ideas of a universal visual language applicable across creative disciplines.
Van der Ploeg‘s hard-edge paintings and prints feature geometric monochrome shapes and patterns in vibrant color arrangements, drawing inspiration from diverse cultural sources such as Italian Renaissance architecture, Maori weaving, and Islamic tile design. His modular compositions, characterized by their rhythmic sequences of repetition and variation, draw from post-war Minimalism and Conceptual Art. They blend a fascination with geometric principles with perceptual engagement and a sense of dynamism. “The impact of van der Ploeg s paintings”, curator Michelle Grabner observes, “is located at the intersection of sensation and thought, between the work`s graphic visual impact and its conceptual underpinnings.” Despite van der Ploeg‘s anti-narrative approach, the abstract shapes in his work often evoke associations akin to signs or symbols. Certain shapes reoccur throughout his oeuvre in various iterations and fom an abstract vocabulary that van der Ploeg reiterates and transforms, building a visual language that is is distinctively recognisable yet constantly evolving.
Van der Ploeg‘s works on paper are meticulously crafted and flawless in their execution. Using stencils and acrylic paints mixed with special varnishes, he creates vibrant compositions that capture and focus the viewer‘s perception, immersing them in the pulsating rhythm of form, color, and structure.
Jan van der Ploeg lives and works in Amsterdam.
Selected solo and group exhibitions include Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MOMA PS1, New York, Kunst- haus Baselland, Basel; Kunstverein Heilbronn, Heilbronn; Von Bartha, Basel; Minus Space, New York; Sikkema Jenkins, New York; Wellington City Art Gallery, Wellington; Starkwhite, Auckland; Sumer, Tauran- ga; Taubert Contemporary, Berlin; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; Cleveland Triennial for Contempo- rary Art, Cleveland; Sarah Cottier Gallery, Sydney; Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington; Dunedin Public Art Gallery; Daimler Art Collection, Stuttgart; Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen; Kunst-Station, Wolfsburg; Museum für Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt; Kunstmuseum der Stadt Ulm; Mies van der Rohe Haus, Berlin; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Kunstmuseum, Den Haag, and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
Van der Ploeg‘s work is held in numerous public collections worldwide, including The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Museum Ulm; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Daimler AG, Stutgart/ Berlin; Gemeentemuseum, The Hague; Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan; Maasstad Zieken- huis, Rotterdam; Ministerie van Financiën, The Hague; Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken, The Hague; Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, The Hague; UMC, Amsterdam; NG Collectie, Amsterdam; MOTI, Breda; Gemeente Leeuwarden; Universiteit Twenthe, Enschede; Sint Anthonius Ziekenhuis, Nieuwgein; CCA, Andraxt; Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede; I.S.I.S. Rosario Livatino, Neapel; Villa Mondriaan, Winterswijk; Schunck, Heerlen; Gemeente Nijmegen; RAI, Amsterdam; Baker Botts, Houston; Chartwell Collection, Auckland; Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Christchurch -Art Gallery of West Australia, Perth; Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden; ABN-AMRO Collection, Amsterdam; Kunstcollectie De Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam; LeasePlan Nederland, Almere; Dunedin Public art Gallery, Dunedin.
In 1990 Jan van der Ploeg received the Royal Award for Modern Painting.
