LekArt Culemborg, 26-29 of September

In her work ‘On Hands and Feet’ Anne Verhoijsen (1951) displays a multitude of hands and feet secured to the floor. The work is a symbol of being grounded somewhere, of knowing where you are at home. The hands are in direct contact with the ground, maybe they even carry the ground, just as in Manzoni’s ‘Pedestal of the World’.

The story

I made the mould from my own body. Initially I was thinking of a complete body, but decided that my hands and feet – with forearms and lower legs – were enough; they tell the whole story. In this context I like the German expression ‘Hand und Fuß haben’ – there is nothing essential missing.

This is Me

‘On Hands and Feet’ also refers to the Uttanasana yoga position where you bend forward from the hips until your torso lies against your legs, your hands resting on the floor. The Dutch expression ‘Iets handen en voeten geven’ – ‘To give something hands and feet’, is an image that suggests that we want to work out an idea into something concrete. I believe that this is what I as a person and artist try to do in my life. You can see the installation as a self portrait: here are my hands and feet, this is me. The viewer then completes the image.

Location Elisabeth Weeshuis (former orphan house) in Culemborg.

www.lekart.nl

https://verhoijsen.com/portfolio/513/