die Welle (Hauser, ’97)

die Welle is a continuation of Johnny-Mae Hauser’s earlier work, Bildnis, which deepens the exploration of self-discovery and emotional memory. The series reflects how buried emotions shift like the tide, reshaping the reality once known into something fluid and ever-changing.

At its core, die Welle engages with the tension between self and other, where the boundaries of identity blur and redefine themselves. This tension drives the exploration of how personal identity evolves in relation to others, especially during moments of significant change. Through softened, abstract imagery, Hauser captures this dynamic, using an interplay of red and pink tones, alongside hints of blue, to evoke the complexity of love, longing, and evolving familial bonds.

The series invites viewers to reflect on the constant negotiation of self in a world where emotional landscapes shift. die Welle emphasizes the fluid spaces between who we are and who we become, deepening the themes introduced in Bildnis and highlighting the transformative power of connection and change.

Postpartum Garden (van den Broek, ’85) 

Drawing from the cycles of nature and motherhood, Aldo van den Broek reimagines the garden in Postpartum Garden as both a sanctuary and a labyrinth, embodying shifts in identity and emotion. As an observer, he reflects on its ongoing
transformation.

Having lived for months in a tent near fertile soil, van den Broek incorporates this experience into his layered paintings, evoking themes of growth and decay. In contrast, his new series of velvet works strips away these layers, revealing a raw immediacy akin to direct expression. Symbols of transformation are painted on untouched velvet, as fragile and direct as new life. The softness and tonal strokes juxtapose fragility with strength, encapsulating the resilience of motherhood, as observed by Aldo van den Broek.

The garden emerges as a reflective space, inviting viewers to engage with the complexities of motherhood from a
thoughtful distance.

BIO’S

Johnny Mae Hauser is a Dutch-German artist known for her abstract compositions, gentle gaze in rich palettes, pushing the boundaries of photography and exploring the imaginative engagement of the medium. Hauser’s subjects get deliberately
softened and unsharpened to dissolve the line between the tangible and the intangible, creating a dreamlike realm where the viewer is encouraged to engage with what is felt rather than seen.

Each piece, an expression of the evolution of emotional memory in her distinctly sensible and colourful ways. Inspired by personal life experiences, her images exude a poetic stillness that captures the sentiments of life – introspection, isolation, intimacy and, ultimately, connection.

Aldo van den Broek is a self-taught artist whose work explores themes of decay, transformation, power, and identity. Shaped by life on the margins, he is drawn to entropy—the collapse of systems. For him, decay fuels renewal, revealing resilience in unstable environments.

Using discarded materials—such as cardboard, wood, metal, and fabric—his process of layering, scraping, and rebuilding reflects cycles of destruction and regeneration. These materials bear the marks of time, symbolizing both fragility and the potential for transformation.

Through his work, van den Broek challenges institutional, political, and social systems by exposing the vulnerabilities of the people within them. His figures, emerging from textured surfaces, embody the impermanence of identity, shaped by external forces and internal conflict.