Esther Hoogendijk - Omwerken

This installation on the roof garden of the Palace of Justice creates a temporary landscape comprising fifty sculptures, with change and transience at its heart. As a prelude to the upcoming renovation, over the course of six months, the artwork depicts a process of growth, decay and renewal.

The rectangular sculptures form a long row in shades of pink, magenta and lilac. They are identical in shape and made of plaster, earth, vermiculite and paper. The sculptures are coloured with inks that react to moisture: under the influence of rain, dew and condensation, the colours shift subtly from pink to light purple. As flower and grass seeds have been incorporated into some of the sculptures, green shoots slowly break through as time passes. In this way, the artwork will spread across the roof garden and blend in with the existing greenery.

What begins as a seemingly uniform arrangement gradually evolves into a diverse and unpredictable whole. Some sculptures crumble, others will topple over or become overgrown with plants. The installation unfolds as a slow, living process in which control and chance alternate. Visitors of the roof garden are invited to return and follow these changes, and thus witness a work of art that is constantly in motion.

Esther Hoogendijk is the sixth artist in a series of eight solo exhibitions at the Palace of Justice. The exhibition is curated by Daphne Verberg and is organised in collaboration between Atelier Rijksbouwmeester and Nest.