Hannah van Bart, Untouchables
The first presentation in the print room's
new exhibition area is a display of work by
Hannah van Bart (1963). Some forty
drawings - and four paintings - give an
impression of her work over the last five
years (1997-2001). The works vary in size
from small to almost human-size. All are
drawn using a graphite stick and most
are monochrome; colour is used in only a
few (and then sparingly). Van Bart's
recent work frequently features people
and animals: not just human figures of
both sexes but also bears, wolves and a
horse. It generally shows these figures
isolated in space, with no indication of
their surroundings. Their position often
suggests movement, action or activity:
they run, dance, stride out, thumb a lift or
prance across the page. But something
else is also 'happening' in these pictures.
For, despite their immediate
recognisability, the figures populating Van
Bart's drawings are in some way weird
and wonderful.