Anne Frankplantsoen
A sea of sunflowers, swaying in the wind. It recalls Van Gogh’s famous painting. Step closer and you’ll see they are lanterns, crafted in the Chinese tradition. This light artwork is a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, who painted 69 sunflowers in Arles, France. Flowers he saw as lanterns – just like in Hugo Vrijdag’s artwork.
The glowing flowers vary in size: the smallest ones are at the front. Take a closer look: are you really seeing what you think you see? If you take a photo of the work from a distance, all the sunflowers appear the same size. That’s remarkable, because in reality their dimensions differ greatly. By arranging the illuminated flowers from low to tall, the artist creates an optical illusion. In painting this is known as the trompe-l’œil effect. Thanks to this effect, the three-dimensional installation transforms into a graphic image – a nod to Van Gogh’s paintings.
With its oasis of colour, the swaying sunflowers, the chirping crickets and the shrill calls of swifts, you feel transported to the French countryside. The sound of the swift is a recurring element in the works of Hugo Vrijdag. What feelings does this evoke in you?
This work may seem familiar. In 2019, it premiered at GLOW, and the sunflowers instantly became a crowd favourite. Hugo Vrijdag created the piece that same year, in collaboration with the Nanjing Light Festival, the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam and Van Gogh Brabant. After GLOW 2019, the work travelled to the Qinhuai Light Festival in Nanjing and to festivals across Europe. We are proud that this artwork now returns to GLOW for our twentieth anniversary.
At this edition of GLOW, you can also experience other works by Hugo Vrijdag: The Machine Has Flown Out (Het College, Eindhoven) and Dream City (including at the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven).
