Jacques van der Merwe
The morphology of transience
This exhibition explores the interplay between memory, time, and materiality through the use of moving ephemeral objects that overlay and affect monolithic form inside vitrines—enclosures (glass cabinets) that isolate and elevate objects, transforming their relationship to space and the viewer. The empreinte (imprint), facilitated by the vitrine, functions as a metaphor for the mechanisms of memory, encapsulating the dynamic visual processes of remembering and forgetting. Just as memory captures fleeting moments and freezes them in time, so the vitrine isolates ephemeral actions that interact with and alter monolithic forms, gradually shifting their essence while distancing them from the outside environment.
The glass barrier of the vitrine creates a deliberate separation between the object and its surroundings, drawing attention to the object’s intrinsic qualities while reframing its context. This isolation fosters a sense of privilege and curiosity, encouraging viewers to contemplate the items as representations of memory processes influenced by the dynamic interaction between the transient and the enduring. The enclosed space establishes a tension between accessibility and inaccessibility, with the glass acting as a lens that reveals and conceals.
The empreinte extends this metaphor further through contact between two or more mediums and the passing of time. Furthermore, the empreinte bridges the gap between the past and the present, acting as a tactile and visual trace of an otherwise intangible experience. This approach embodies a practice-based, interdisciplinary methodology, where memory is explored through conceptual and material means, creating a space for reflection on how memories are constructed, altered, and preserved through time. By engaging with these dual processes of preservation and transformation, the exhibition invites a deeper understanding of how memory is not a static record but a fluid, evolving narrative—one that is at once preserved and deformed, revealed and concealed.
Memory Blocks: Veil
This artwork explores memory through a yellow-golden, web-like structure formed by manipulating silkworms to spin an ephemeral veil over a bust. Drawing on the veil as a visual, material, and philosophical object, the work embodies the hidden or partially hidden mysteries of memory.
The veil represents the obscured aspects of how memory operates—how selective recall and forgetting shape perception. Much like the interconnected webs of memory in the brain, this structure suggests the delicate interplay between what is remembered and what remains hidden. It reflects on how veiled perceptions of the past can distort our present reality, creating illusions of truth and identity.
Through its fragile form, the piece invites contemplation on the tension between revelation and concealment in both memory and human experience.
2023
Vitrine, Polyurethane, oil paint, beeswax, hair, silk threads, and frass
205 x 41.5 x 41.5cm
Images: Steven Vawdrey and Sabine Bannard
Procedures of Memory
Rituals are central to memory, shaping how we remember, forget, and transmit experiences. Through their repetition, rituals reinforce neural pathways, consolidating memories in both individuals and societies. They act as external memory stores, preserving shared traditions and fostering continuity across generations.
This work reflects the rhythmic tempo of rituals, echoing the interplay between form and formlessness—becoming and unbecoming. It explores how rituals transform the past, present, and future, showing memory as both a personal and collective act that shapes identity and connects us to time.
2024–2025
Vitrine, smoke, Microcrystalline wax, hair, glass, wood, aluminium and paint
205 x 102.5 x 102.5cm
Images: Steven Vawdrey and Sabine Bannard
The Scream
Traumatic memories and electroplating reveal how constant layering transforms form. Left unattended, electroplating in an active bath will build endlessly, creating uneven, thickened layers that distort the original shape. Similarly, unprocessed traumatic memories intensify with repeated activation, reinforcing neural pathways until their impact disrupts emotional balance and clarity.
Both processes highlight how unchecked accumulation reshapes their original forms, turning clarity into chaos. This work explores the parallels between material and memory, showing how continuous layering without intervention leads to a distortion of identity and structure.
2023–2024
Vitrine, beeswax, graphite, acrylic, copper, crocodile clamps and electroplating bath
205 x 42 x 42cm
Images: Sabine Bannard
Blouapie /ˈbləʊ.ˌɑː.pi/
Dripping water serves as a metaphor for memory, illustrating its passage through time and impermanence. Memories accumulate over time, building up our recollections. However, just as water wears down surfaces, so memories are subject to change, fading or distorting as time passes.
The water’s constant drip reflects how memories are shaped by time, not in an instant but over a continuous process. This gradual erosion mirrors how memories are preserved and altered, reminding us that memory is not a static record but a fluid, evolving experience. The slow, steady nature of the drip underscores how memory is a persistent, ongoing process influenced by time’s passage and the experiences that accumulate within it.
2023-2024
Vitrine, water, salt, Vervet monkey skull, beeswax, pin, button, plaster and cotton.
Dimension: 205 x 26 x 26cm
Images: Steven Vawdrey and Sabine Bannard
Red
We think we can get rid of dust with a vacuum cleaner, but it seeps in everywhere regardless. Similarly, memories spill back into our minds unexpectedly: some bring joy, others bring unease. The hoof of time never stops its splitting rhythm between the here and the before.
War leaves behind the same residue. It does not disappear with treaties or silences, but lingers in the air, settling into the folds of memory where it cannot be swept away. In the red-lit enclosure, the body is held in suspension, neither fully present nor absent, echoing the way war continues to inhabit us long after its immediate violence has passed. What remains is not only the story of conflict but its residue—the unsettled dust of collapse, the silence that glows as persistently as flame.
2023–2024
Vitrine, pigment, resin and compressed air
205 x 101.5 x 101.5cm
Images: Sabine Bannard and Steven Vawdrey
Memory Blocks: Ma/Mother
This work explores the value of transparency and reflection as key processes in the formation and understanding of memory. Transparency (i.e., the direct access to one’s own mental states) and reflection (i.e., the examination of these states) allow implicit experiences to become explicit. Together, they shape how memories are encoded, stored, and recalled.
Reflections within the work symbolise the mind’s ability to reinterpret and transform memories, while transparency evokes the clarity with which some moments emerge from the subconscious. The interplay of these elements reflects how self-awareness and perception influence the construction and evolution of memory.
2023–2025
Vitrine, acrylic, mineral oil and beeswax
205 x 55 x 55cm
Images: Steven Vawdrey and Sabine Bannard
The Secret
Information is kept in diverse formats, ranging from the complex cerebral networks of the human brain to more concrete forms, such as written text, digital archives, and oral traditions. The choice to withhold or disclose specific information frequently indicates its importance, sensitivity, or relevance over time. The dependability of conveyed information raises a significant concern, as each communication is influenced by memory, perception, and interpretation, which may lead to distortions. The transmission of information, whether retained privately or disseminated publicly, inherently illustrates the vulnerability and variability of human comprehension and precise recollection.
2024
Bronze, ceramic shell
205 x 81 x 81cm
Images: Steven Vawdrey and Sabine Bannard
