Working predominantly in graphite, Hanna ten Doornkaat's work is an ongoing investigation into the meaning and concept of drawing. Her practice is defined by a complex process of repetitive mark making and erasure, of revealing and concealing. Layers bear witness to the tension between silent contemplation and the cacophony of modern life, the spaces between as noteworthy as the lines themselves.
In preparation of her solo exhibition with &Gallery the artist revisited formal line drawings on solid board and placed these in dialogue with the more amorphous aesthetic of works created within the constraints of last year's lockdown. Initially trained in sculpture, ten Doornkaat not only questions the purity of abstracted lines and shapes, but also challenges the boundaries between two and three dimensions - always in pursuit of a balance between dissonance and harmony.
Often initiated by a fleeting glimpse, overheard phrase or fragmented memory, an idea may be concealed until ten Doornkaat adds a final layer when naming her works. Whether paying homage to conceptual artists whose theories have influenced her practice, offering a pragmatic description of a drawing's formal characteristics, or providing a glimpse into her state of mind, words not only inspire the work but complete the artist's contemporary palimpsests.
German-born mixed media artist Hanna ten Doornkaat holds an MA (Sculpture) from Wimbledon School of Art and lives and works in London. Her work has been widely exhibited and is held in collections across the UK and internationally.
Text by Meike Brunkhorst, factor-m, marketing consultant, freelance writer and translator.
