In Conversation: Willem Hoeffnagel on "Embodied"

by Natasha Tai
2024

 Portrait of Willem Hoeffnagel (image courtesy of the artist)

 

From May 16 to June 14, 2024, WOAW Gallery presents “Embodied”, a solo exhibition by Dutch artist Willem Hoeffnagel. Believing emotions to be a fundamental part of what makes us human, Hoeffnagel Illustrates the subtle details in everyday life. He affixes these individual moments into an encapsulation of the human experience through each of his iconic characters. 
 
Installation view of "Embodied" at WOAW Gallery
 
Large, round, cartoonish eyes peer at you, filled with a curiosity befitting of the artist’s own musings. Keeping his figures ambiguous, Hoeffnagel directly portrays a wide array of human emotions, seeking to visualize different experiences and feelings. “I wanted to visualize emotions in a way that isn't too dark nor too vague,” he said, “I like being quite direct in how I portray themes like human emotion. I think my visual language allows for a more direct representation of the story.”
 
Hoeffnagel’s characters originated from almost 20 years ago, finding its humble beginnings as a cartoon he drew as a child. “My style in general comes from just never stopping on the path I was on,” he said, “As a kid in primary school I always drew a cartoony figure that’s not far off from the figures I paint nowadays. It just slowly developed over time and I guess all that endless repetition kind of formed my style.” Perhaps a testament to the universality of what Hoeffnagel wishes to capture, his characters retained the distinctive features that offer timeless sentiments about human nature.
Willem Hoeffnagel, The bright one, 2024.
 
Despite the complex emotions he seeks to express, his works began with simple and straightforward ideas. The bright one (2024) began with Hoeffnagel playing with the thought of a light source emitting from within a figure, “as if it is a sense of relief or a moment of clarity for them”. The painting illustrates a more direct interpretation of such illuminating events, featuring his iconic character looking towards the side as light shines from within their body. Basked in a soft yellow glow, the painting offers a sense of warmth and comfort through the warm tones and the wide-eyed expression of the figure.
 
“I really enjoyed the effort of portraying those feelings in these works. I think it made sense combining that idea with these figures,” said Hoeffnagel.
 Willem Hoeffnagel, Conflicted, 2024.

 

Conflicted (2024), on the other hand, features two figures grappling at each other with swords. At first glance, the work may evoke a sense of guarded apprehension amongst its audience, yet it also invites them to look closer at the relationship within the painting. Hoeffnagel’s distinctive portrayal of eyes creates a sense of familiarity between the two figures - with one of the swords piercing the eye of the character at the left, viewers are left feeling uncomfortable and almost exposed to the vulnerability exhibited in the work. 

Hoeffnagel also finds himself venturing towards portraiture - rather than the usual facial features, he instead replaces them with objects and materials such as plants in Plant portrait (2024) and metal pipes in Steel portrait (2024). “[They] are a bit different! But I really enjoyed that,” Hoeffnagel commented, “I think it's fun to play with these features to sort of take the eyes for example and replace them with a flower in that case. Maybe I´ll do more, yes, because it's a good way to push the idea of a portrait a bit further.”

 

Installation view of "Embodied" at WOAW Gallery 

 

Straightforward in his approach, Hoeffnagel welcomes viewers to interpret each canvas in their own way. To the artist, each painting carries a variety of details that resonate with each of his audience differently  - some may be obvious to certain viewers, whilst to others it may not be so clear. On the other hand, there may be aspects to the painting that are recognisable to his audience but not to the artist himself.

 

Installation view of Mirrored (2024) 

 

 “I looked for that subtle yet not too hidden sign of an emotion or feeling in the image,” Hoeffnagel said, “I love it when I hear an interpretation of one of my paintings from someone who really feels they nailed the ´meaning´ of the piece, especially when that wasn´t my intended meaning. But in my mind that viewer is always correct, there is no one correct way of interpreting most contemporary paintings I think.” Ultimately, Hoeffnagel does not aim to illustrate specific thoughts with each work. Happiness, anxiety, melancholia - all are emotions uniquely embodied by each individual. By engaging with his art, Hoeffnagel instead evokes different feelings from different viewers, creating a shared experience for those who look at his works.