Guardians

Upstream Gallery is proud to present Frank Ammerlaan's fifth solo exhibition with the gallery: Guardians.

Guardians, once revealed in cycles of light and darkness, are now but a faint astral reminder dimmed by the glowing tide of our cities. The paradoxical nature of perception becomes evident; it is not the constellations themselves that are fading, but a neon hum that clouds our sight. The illumination of artificial lights fractures our connection with the natural world as their glow scatters through the atmosphere.

In his practice, Ammerlaan strives to capture the constant flux of our material reality while exploring the properties of abstraction. Matter serves as a means to depict the world beyond the confines of the studio, with the cosmos forming the very backdrop of his contemplations. While inspiration is drawn from immeasurable stretches of seeming emptiness, what is captured isn't a limitation, but a boundless realm of opportunities—a narrative to which we belong and from which we emerged.

Vibrant and dynamic, matter is alive; a physical embodiment of knowledge. It is the fabric of our world, our order of complexity from where thought, activity and form erupt. Similarly, Ammerlaan’s use of materiality crafts a bridge between form and idea—creating a pathway that goes beyond pure abstraction to engage with the wider world.

Image | Close up: Guardian 1, Frank Ammerlaan (2024)
- Lead, styrofoam, epoxy on plywood (150 x 200 x 20 cm)

Guardians | Frank Ammerlaan 
Kloveniersburgwal 95, Amsterdam 
11 May - 15 June, 2024