A bottle containing a balloon that inflates itself like a genie, two wooden heads tumbling over one another in a slowly rotating wheel, or a large chest that suddenly pops open — these are typical examples of Zegveld’s installations. They move and make sound. They’re often humorous and inventive, like the genie trying to escape from the bottle. Or they catch you off guard, only to leave you smiling — like the surprising ‘pop-chest’.
Lightness and Gravity
No matter how inventive or playful Zegveld’s works may be, there is always a sense of gravity present. “My theme is the vulnerability of the human being,” the artist explains. The human being who is born with the single, inescapable certainty that they will die. And in the meantime, that person must find a way to make it through life. To bring joy to that time, Zegveld captures moments in his work — moments that remind us of our fate or our most fundamental urges. Moments that reflect who we are. But with Zegveld, those moments are never static or frozen. There is always movement.
A New Synthesis
Movement has always played a role in Zegveld’s visual work. In his early years, this took the form of short, intense bursts — a car speeding past, or an explosion. In recent years, his sculptures and installations have become more narrative. The theatrical, storytelling element has increasingly found its way into his visual art, and the motion now lasts longer. A few years ago, Zegveld moved into a large, vacant warehouse in Zaandam and began to focus more fully on creating visual works and installations. While theatre, visual art, and autonomous music used to be separate activities, they now come together in a unified whole — a true synthesis in his most recent work.
