The feelings the butterflies gave me

Esmay Groot Koerkamp

solo garden exhibition

08.09.2023 28.10.2023

Galerie Bart proudly presents The feelings the butterflies gave me, a narrative garden exhibition by Esmay Groot Koerkamp (1993, the Netherlands). Ceramic objects and a hand-made booklet take visitors on a journey in which they discover the complexity of human relationships. Her visual language is filled with a strong narrative and humorous details, while her words are carefully chosen to share her thoughts without being overbearing or projecting her personal feelings. By combining two artistic approaches – image and language – she disarms visitors and strikes an emotional chord.

A number of ceramic works adorn the garden and also appear in the booklet: “The feelings the butterflies gave me”. One of these objects is the so-called ‘love worm’, which comes into being when you develop feelings for someone and ask yourself whether you want that person or not. These initial feelings may develop into butterflies, the symbol of love. However, the danger here is blindness. Because, as the saying goes: ‘love is blind’. When you’re in love, there are things that you sometimes choose to ignore. Only to have them come back to haunt you later in your relationship with that person. In the exhibition, this state of mind is visualised in the form of butterflies with ‘eyes’ on their wings, like the Peacock and Meadow Brown. As the visitor passes through the garden, a story unfolds about love and all its complexities.

Besides the objects on display in the garden, Esmay also seeks out the intimacy of a booklet. It brings the objects to life and forms an ode to love and its associated struggles. People who are falling in love open up to each other, learn about each other and some doors open more easily than others. Doubts arise when your partner doesn’t open up in certain ways. How do you react? Do you call on the Harvestman spider to protect your heart? These are questions and situations that could present themselves in any relationship. The central question posed by the exhibition is: How do you deal with the feelings that butterflies awake in you? Esmay will reveal to the viewer how she tries to regulate them.

Just as in her previous and other current work, Esmay addresses themes that touch on the inner experience of individuals. Because of this, the subjects she covers are both contemporary and relevant for the past and the future.

• More information about Esmay Groot Koerkamp