In Oogschaduw – the Dutch word for “eyeshadow” – two painterly positions converge, both exploring themes of illusion and transformation in their own distinct ways. The title is more than a poetic turn of phrase: eyeshadow – a promise of seduction, concealment, and the occasional touch of drama. At times it highlights the gaze, at others it diverts it – just like the images in this exhibition.
Maximilian Helk’s works evoke the atmosphere of dark fairy tales: a gentle, almost delicate painting style stands in tension with eerie subjects. Using frottage and pastel hues, he creates scenes that feel both dreamlike and unsettling – as though one were peering through a kaleidoscope of childhood memory into a surreal shadow world.
Anna McCarthy’s painting is raw, forthright, and laced with biting wit. Improvised and multilayered, her work tackles social themes without ever becoming didactic. Her paintings reflect personal experience as an echo of collective states – always in flux, always resisting rigid power structures.