NK Gallery is pleased to announce a duo exhibition by two Dutch artists: Judit Hettema and Marjolein Rothman. Titled Retina, the exhibition creates a dialogue in which both artists explore the nature of representation, in particular how reality is being questioned through the realm of images. It’s no coincidence that the title of the exhibition draws a parallel between the light sensitive layer, lining the inner surface of the eye, which creates an image of the visual world and serves much the same function as the film in a camera. In the project Retina both artists examine the subject of parallel representation of reality and subjective perception.

Judit Hettema shows in Antwerp large-scale pictorial photographs, videos and light boxes depicting urban and architectural sites. In her work she reconstructs traces of the contemporary layered world and tries to create the illusion of real space. Different levels of reality: the original space, the projected space and the imaginary space come together in one powerful image.

With her sober, in gray tones painted work another artist Marjolein Rothman examines the act of looking. Her paintings are metaphors for the ambiguity that characterize many representations. The artist deconstructs iconic cultural symbols, stimulating the viewer to think about the impact that images have on the way he looks at himself and the world. She fragments and reduces till there is just enough left to still recognize a shadow of the original image. With her ephemeral, yet powerful works she opens the eyes of the beholder.

Judit Hettema graduated from Post St. Joost in Breda and is a laureate of HISK in Ghent. She participated residencies in China, Lithuania and India and was nominated for a substantial amount of prizes, amongst others the Rodenbach Award with a honorable mentioning by Jan Hoet. Her work was shown amongst others at the Darmstädter Tage Der Fotografie (2012) and the Biennial 2013 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Rochester, USA.

Marjolein Rothman graduated from the Akademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Enschede and was an artist in residency at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. She has been granted the Dutch Royal Prize for Painting, had solo exhibitions in Amsterdam, Stockholm and Göteborg and participated at numerous group exhibitions amongst others at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam and the Vleeshal in Middelburg. Her works were presented at FIAC Paris, ARCO Madrid, Art Cologne and Art Miami.