In the Light of Venus was the title of a retrospective exhibition devoted to photographer Jan van der Horn. Emiel van der Pol, an art historian and gallery owner in Nijmegen, selected works from Jan van der Horn’s archive that were proudly presented at Museum Voorschoten from 7 July.
Venus, the goddess of love and a symbol of womanhood, also represents another world that Jan van der Horn reveals through his theatrical staged photography. He began his career behind the lens at the Dalton Lyceum school newspaper, which gave him access to that other world of illustrious artists such as Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Dr. John the Nighttripper, and Marina Abramović with Ulay. He was also part of an internationally active group of young artists who introduced fresh energy into the visual arts through what is now known as ‘staged photography’.
In the Light of Venus describes a central idea that recurs in his work. For Van der Horn, the camera is a way to reveal a world that would otherwise remain inaccessible. As a photographer, he places his theatrical sets in a light beyond the earthly, letting the light of Venus shine upon them. His studio gradually becomes a photographic space in which a luminous biotope emerges. There, the magical night orchid blooms, mysterious landscapes appear, and enchanted gardens light up. He wanders through that world with his camera in search of the perfect coincidence, the magical moment: ‘the twilight’.
In the Light of Venus also refers to the Goddess: unapproachable, dazzling, and mysterious like the evening star. For centuries she has been a cherished subject for artists, who can never capture her full essence—elusive as an unattainable ideal. Placing a camera between photographer and model changes their relationship and creates a game of seduction between lens and person. The women in his photography are iconic and evoke the Sixties, the era when Jan van der Horn began recording his world through photography.
Jan van der Horn masters every technique and uses studio lighting that makes fellow photographers envious; Broncolor, Hasselblad, and Phase One hold no secrets for him. His analogue black-and-white work was brought into the present through high-end scans, digital remastering, and duotone. This is no fleeting, disposable photography: his passion for premium finishing produces work of museum quality.
All this showed how his world of light, otherworldly beauty, and magical reality could also overwhelm and convince visitors at Museum Voorschoten.
Text above: Emiel J.L. van der Pol / Nijmegen / July 2018. As noted in that text,
Following his impressive installation at ArtZaanstad , Jan van der Horn also began exhibiting light boxes in windows around his former home town of Voorschoten as a ‘prelude’ to his solo exhibition at Museum Voorschoten. Works appeared here and there: in the window of his old classroom at the former Parkschool (now the town hall), in Burgemeester Berkhout Park—which once inspired his current work—and at Mrs Van Oel’s home on Voorstraat, where the orchid was displayed.
As a further contribution to this interplay, a large work was set to be ‘lit’ in the Museum’s window on Voorstraat on 4 July. Other buildings around the village pump near the Museum were also to receive a light box, creating a connection between the historic houses.
In the Light of Venus - Jan van der Horn
7 July to 29 July 2018 at Museum Voorschoten
Opening on Saturday 7 July at 16.00
