art show 12+13 I 19+20 September 2026
Groeten van Marc
Willem Schoutenstraat 21 Amsterdam
Opening hours: 13.00 – 18.00
info@brakkee.com
Every day I cycle through the Rembrandt Park, to and from my studio. Struck by this daily moment of beauty, my initial idea was to create a single painting of the park for myself. Over a period of nearly two years, this idea evolved into an exploration of the special place the park holds. The seasons, the play of light, and the changing weather provide a small corner of Amsterdam with countless fascinating experiences. At the intersection of impression, abstraction, and expression, a series of paintings emerged as an ode to Rembrandt Park. An ode to a park that makes the city’s climate more bearable, but also a reminder of climate change and its effects on our surroundings.
A park is a place where the relationship between humans and nature is cultivated, dreamed up, and organized; a communal garden of Eden. I found similarities between the concept of a park and painting the park: from the striking experience of nature, to the selection of a certain view, to the intuitively applying color to the canvas, to creating order in a dialogue between myself and the shapes on the canvas, eventually striking a balance between realism and surprising abstraction. Creating an atmosphere that is palpable to the viewer; a space the viewer can enter. Just as a park can literally connect people, with barbecues and playgrounds, painting the park is my way of connecting with others, the viewer: I share my experience of our shared space. By shining a spotlight on the beauty of the Rembrandtpark, I show that this piece of nature in the city is worth protecting, and that beauty can be found around the corner. There is no need to travel far.
In this exhibition, a short walk from the Rembrandtpark, a selection of the paintings is on display. They show a park in transition. Between 2020 and 2030, the park is being renovated to accommodate a doubling of the number of users. Climate change also impacts the park: dry, hot summers and stormy winters with flooding require adjustments to its design and management. From that perspective, the park has transformed from an example of an ideal relationship between humans and nature—a place to recharge and heal—into a melancholic reference to the finitude and vulnerability of nature. Experiencing the beauty of nature can now also bring with it a sense of loss and grief; a feeling that makes an ode to the park loaded.
