Ruth van Beek
Artist
ISSUE 1 2024SS
Abstract painting is placed side by side with a photograph of a banal object; gardening tools, a retro sweater and a slice of cake. The works featured in Ruth van Beek’s new book The Oldest Thing are unique in the way that adorable colors interweave with realistic visuals. Her masterpiece The Spell is a collage of cut-out pictures showing needlework, a chair and an insect each placed on an oval motif of lovely pink gradients. Giving a sweet yet somewhat uneasy impression, viewers are drawn into her works.
Universal oval shapes and collage are her mediums of expression. To explore Ruth van Beek and her works more deeply, I am curious why she chose collage as the method of her artistic expression. When photos from different eras and with different purposes are combined, the outcome has a totally different meaning.
“That is a good question. I need to think about how far I need to go back to search for that answer. But first of all, photography is a very attractive method of expression for me. I studied photography at school, and I was always fond of collecting printed images. My collection started with personal photos from my old family albums.”
While at the art academy, Ruth found that archival images in magazines and photo albums are more interesting than her own photography, which led to start her own collection. Soon, she could not be satisfied by just collecting them.
“I wanted to control the images. So, I started to cut them. Eventually, my intervention began to cover the object itself, and then took over the whole image. But the connection between photo and reality is always there. I just want to stretch the distance between them. This is why the original photos are almost hidden in most of my recent works. Even so, it triggers our curiosity to see what could be behind them. The viewers can believe in them and expand their imagination. That is what I love about collage.”
The concept of The Old Things originates from three binders her mother had left her, who passed away when she was fifteen. The binders are full of cooking recipes. By looking at the index, her mother’s handwritings and faded pages, Ruth came to pay attention to what her mother had left her as a housewife. It also became one of the reasons why she started to collect household books and manuals.
“I wasn’t aware when she was alive, but when I found these binders I realized that my mother had been doing exactly the same, collecting things. My fascination for manuals comes from her. I never knew my mother as a woman. For me, she was always a patient mother-figure. She taught me how to cook, knit, garden and to do other old-fashioned household things. I used to think of her and her life very different from those of mine. But by finding out what we have in common, it changed my view towards her. I have already passed the age when she died, and it makes me feel much closer to her.”
Ruth collects manuals mainly published between the 1950s and 1970s. She herself was born after this period, in 1977. What drives her passion for this specific era? “There are several reasons. One, because they are still available at used bookstores. I grew up with these books at home so they are very familiar to me. They opened up the door to the world. In addition to household books, I was able to get a hold of a wide variety of used books including architecture and art. The photos in these books are absolutely beautiful, especially the ones from the 1950s where you can feel people’s love and passion for photography. It must have been tremendously hard to print so clearly back in those days. For example, a fully colored photo is like an explosion of colors, when compared with a black and white one. As the printing technique advanced in the 1950s, the bigger the image the better and well received. We are so used to beautiful printing methods now, but because of that the old photos are very precious to me.”
Ruth has no idea how many books exist in her collection and can no longer keep track. The wide variety of books range from history, gardening, and architecture to newspapers and cut-outs. Books on manuals and households occupy a large proportion of her collection and is still growing, which she adores.
Ruth started both book collection and photography when she was a student. At first, she took still life photos, self-portraits, anything and everything with a Polaroid. Before studying photography, she also learned painting and had drawn many watercolors. It is clear that all of these have blended into her current style of expression.
“I started using paint hoping to control colors, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. I tried cutting painted papers just for fun, and ended up being so addicted to it. Everything started to roll from there. I only needed one color to begin with, but now it is more important what I draw and how I layer the colors.”
The Spell contains 100 different tones of pink, with very precise gradient from smokey pink to almost beige. “This is my first time to use silkscreen, and I enjoyed trying to express the watercolor effect by using ink layers. It was also interesting to be in between the printing process. I would love to try using silkscreen again if I get a chance.”
One more thing. We know that oval motif frequently appears in her work. She repeats using the egg shape as if she is somehow addicted to it.
“I am attracted to oval shape because it is so intuitive and feels very human. After I test different colors and paint, I always end up in this shape. Same happens when I do a simple sketch. I thought about it and wondered what attracts me the most. The shape looks like an egg or a fruit, it could be ripe or not, but nothing is definite and that is what I like about it. It feels fulfilling, like something is getting full of life. My work is just a piece of paper, but I try to breathe life into its plain surface. I believe it is full of something. I am not sure, but I feel thatoval can express that.”
Ruth van Beek
Born in Holland, Ruth van Beek is known for her unique collage works using vintage books, magazines and found photography. She has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Foam and It’s Nice That, and was selected as one of the top 20 photographers by the British Journal of Photography in 2013. Her books include The Hibernators, The Arrangement, The Levitators and How to Do the Flowers. Now available is her latest book The Oldest Thing released in 2023, which features found photography, collages and paintings.
INTERVIEW: Mika Koyanagi
Questionnaire
1
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What do you do?
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I make things…
2
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Tell us what you love the most about your job.
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3
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What made you start your current job?
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4
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Who are the most influential persons in your life?
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my family
5
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Describe yourself in 3 words
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6
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What is the thing that you are very interested in now?
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The power of Things
7
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What are three things you cannot live without?
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a pan, a spoon, a plate
8
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What do you always have on you?
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pen and paper, and my phone. To make notes written and visual.
9
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Tell us about your morning routine.
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I go for a long walk with my dog and listen to books or podcasts.
10
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What is your favorite drink?
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coffee in the morning
11
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What do you get immersed in, losing track of time?
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working in my archive of images, sorting them and make new combinations, looking, a lot of looking
12
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What is the ultimate luxury for you?
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long showers
13
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When do you feel stimulated or inspired?
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while looking at ordinary objects from the past, for instance in an archeological museum, but also when reading good books or looking at paintings.
14
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What is your favorite color?
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the color of your cheeks when you blush
15
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What is your favorite taste of food?
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Aubergine
16
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What is the most important decision you have made in your life?
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To do what I like and to keep doing it also when nobody else was interested
17
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What was the most moving moment in your life?
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when I became a mother
18
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What is the most recent book you have finished reading?
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Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
19
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Who is your favorite author?
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Olga Tokarczuk
20
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What are your three favorite books on the bookshelf?
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Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
The Hare with Amber eyes by Edmund De Waal
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
21
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Where would you like to go for a trip?
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Japan
22
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Which country would you like to visit in the future?
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Iceland
23
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Where is your favorite hotel?
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It is in the north of the Netherlands, in Groningen close to the Wadden Sea. Wongema is the name.
24
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What is the most memorable place you've visited?
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Marfa, Texas
25
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Where is home for you?
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Koog aan de Zaan, The Netherlands. Our house is very old, it belonged to a maker of clocks in the 18th century. It is a very special place.
26
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What is your favorite recent song?
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Sweet by Lana Del Rey
27
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Who’s your favorite singer?
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Laurie Anderson
28
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What is the one song you can listen to all the time?
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Good by Morphine
29
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What are your three favorite movies?
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The Gleaners and I by Agnes Varda
Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog
Being John Malkovich by Spike Jonze
30
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What are some of your favorite movies you've seen recently?
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De Humani Corporis Fabrica by Paravel & Castaing-Taylor
31
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When you meet someone for the first time, what is the first point that catches your eye?
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the color of their clothes
32
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Which word do you use to greet friends?
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hoi
33
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What is the best advice you have received from people?
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do what you like best and everything will be fine
34
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What do you wear in bed?
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knitted socks
35
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What is your motto?
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listen to your intuition, always
