amberofthismoment:

in his solo exhibition &lsquo;origin of the beginning&rsquo;, dutch artist&nbsp;levi van veluw&nbsp;makes use of 30,000 wooden blocks, balls, and slats&nbsp;to blanket three rooms that recall his childhood bedroom. the life-size installations are accompanied by photographs and videos&nbsp;that not only bring literally to life the current installation, but also draw up the artist&rsquo;s often-sombre memories of youth.
&nbsp;known for his self-portraits which involve the layering of diverse materials onto his head, van veluw creates in this exhibition&nbsp;an entire narrative framework, without neglecting his emphasis on materiality, texture, and aesthetic.&nbsp;the first of the three rooms contains a desk, a table lamp, and a bookcase, with a figure seated at the table. the table&rsquo;s edge is burnt,&nbsp;a reference to van veluw&rsquo;s childhood obsession with fire; and one of the video pieces of the exhibition recreates within the room&nbsp;this very act. nothing in the piece is left uncovered by 14,000&nbsp;16-sq.centimeter wooden blocks, each handmade and individually&nbsp;glued upon the walls, ceiling, figure, and furniture. the other two rooms of the installation interpret other aspects of van veluw&rsquo;s&nbsp;boyhood bedroom, blanketed in wooden slats and small wooden balls respectively.&nbsp;
van veluw notes in his description of the exhibition that between the ages of eight and 14 he spent many solitary hours in his bedroom;&nbsp;and the dark gradients of the blocks, coupled with the precise but imperfect rhythm of the repetition, lends a strikingly personal&nbsp;and melancholic feel to the three-dimensional portraits. the gallery description of the works suggests:
&lsquo;the repetitive structures seemingly express a &lsquo;horrorvacui&rsquo; and recall van veluw the youth and his obsessive attempts to gain control&nbsp;on his life by gaining control of his surroundings. dimly lit and dark in colour, the overriding tone of these pieces is claustrophobic&nbsp;and sombre, exuding a sense of loneliness.&rsquo;
