Kiss My Culture

Interview: Marcel Heijnen [Vue Privee November Artist of the Month]

The Dutch born-Asia based photographer’s upcoming exhibition “The Residue Series” will showcase a collection of images exploring the temporary nature of our everyday surroundings. With urban decay as his focal point, Marcel Heijnen, Vue Privee November Artist of the Month shares the beauty of the fact that nothing lasts forever.

Your work revolves around the idea of impermanence.
For the past few years I’ve been studying Buddhism a fair bit and the one underlying principle that really speaks to me is the idea that everything is in continuous flux. ‘This too shall pass’ -“This” to me, is a fundamental truth in life and there’s enormous power in the realisation and acceptance of this.

Everything is a process, nothing will stay the same. Facing and accepting impermanence as a truth would force us to face our own demise and that’s something we don’t like doing. The one thing that’s certain in our life is that it’ll end sooner or later. It is something we know but do not want to know.

Most of us label the notion of impermanence as ‘sad’, but I think it can be hugely liberating. We like flowers, not despite the fact that they will wither but because they wither. Just as gold would not be valuable if it was abundant, life would not be precious if it would not end. If we would realize this more, we would live life more fully in each moment, rather than stressing ourselves out working for and worrying about the future.

Steve Jobs understood this very well: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”

The acceptance of impermanence can teach us to how to live more fully, so I feel it’s time to get impermanence out of the closet.

“The Residue Series” seems to simultaneously explore both urban modernism and its decay. What about it that appealed to you?
I felt that in order to visualize change within still images I needed the largest possible clash within the work; we are used to seeing decay on old ruins but not on brand new buildings. Besides that, in most cases, the brand new buildings tend to have a more temporary nature than the older ones which are seen as part of cultural heritage and therefore conserved and protected. And, it’s really about the clash between human beings and nature; we build these concrete/steel/glass structures in a geometric fashion and then nature claims back what belongs to it in a more organic way.

As a photographer, in what other ways have you explored your surroundings?
I’ve been photographing weathered walls for a while now as they always felt like nature’s ‘coincidental’ abstract art, and I’ve been shooting reflections (from glass, water, etc) quite a bit as well but it was only during the creating of my “Residue” series that the two mixed and became something new.

The series have also taken you to China and Indonesia, what was the most intriguing aspect of those countries?
The rapid change that’s happening in these old and mature cultures is unprecedented. A lot of these changes come at a potentially high cost, but at the same time I find the force of optimism that’s going on in Asia very contagious. It’s nice to live in a part of the world where people are generally excited about the future.

What do you think about Singapore’s ever changing landscape and how do you think that affects our culture?
I don’t have a fixed judgement on it but I do see the pros and cons. Referring to my earlier statement about embracing impermanence, we are located in the midst of it and there’s no escaping getting somehow conditioned by it. As change is a fact of life, living in a city like this prepares us for it, makes us even expect it.

But I also see it can be unsettling to lose reference to your own heritage. But then again, holding on to heritage would be a form of clinging too…

What do you think we have lost or gained in relation to the above question?
One could argue that what we lose is never ours to begin with. What we gain? Insight, I hope.

The question of life and its significance seems to inspire your creativity. In search of your personal truth, what have you found so far?
That all we have is this moment.

Vue Privee’s November Artist of the Month will be exhibiting “The Residue Series” at Vue Privee on Nov 5-30. Don’t miss his talk at the gallery on Nov 12, 3-6pm. Admission is free.