Koen Vermeule. New Dawn

 

Borzo is pleased to present New Dawn, an exhibition of new work by Koen Vermeule . In Vermeule's work, the human figure occupies a central yet elusive role. His figures inhabit spaces that are at once mundane and indeterminate: a square, a lakeside, a theatre stage. They appear to wait, to watch, or to be caught up in an action unfolding just beyond our field of vision.

 

Vermeule captures moments suspended between action and contemplation - silences in which time seems to dissolve. Central to his practice is the Rückenfigur, a motif familiar from Romantic painting, most notably the work of Caspar David Friedrich. By turning the figure away from the viewer, Vermeule draws us into their perspective rather than distancing us from it. The gap between image and viewer narrows: we find ourselves inhabiting the same space, sharing the same gaze.

 

Opening hours

Wed - Fri, 1 - 5 pm

The gallery is closed on Friday 24 April

  • ABOUT THE ARTIST
    Photographer Cedric Verhelst
    ABOUT THE ARTIST
    Koen Vermeule (Goes, 1965) studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and received the Charlotte Köhler Prize for young talent in 1994. His work is held in leading museums and private collections, including Museum Voorlinden and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. In 2017 he was awarded the Sacha Tanja Penning, the most prestigious Dutch distinction in painting.
     
    • Koen Vermeule, Fall, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Fall, 2025
      € 3,000.00
    • Koen Vermeule, One, 2026
      Koen Vermeule, One, 2026
    • Koen Vermeule, Ground, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Ground, 2025
      € 2,950.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Ground, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Ground, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Spinning, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Spinning, 2025
      € 3,250.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Spinning, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Spinning, 2025
      € 3,250.00
  • Vermeule works from direct observation: street scenes, landscapes, moments that present themselves and catch his attention. He selects, isolates and manipulates these impressions into images that form a first impression of reality — stripped of noise, yet deliberately open and unresolved. That sense of incompleteness is not a shortcoming, but an integral part of his practice.
    Vermeule works from direct observation: street scenes, landscapes, moments that present themselves and catch his attention. He selects, isolates and...
    New Dawn, 2025, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 150 x 250 cm
    • Koen Vermeule, Allee, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Allee, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Dome, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Dome, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Coast, 2026
      Koen Vermeule, Coast, 2026
    • Koen Vermeule, Dreamer, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Dreamer, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Eye, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Eye, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Dreamer, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Dreamer, 2025
  • His way of seeing is steeped in art history, with clear affinities to Georges Seurat, Léon Spilliaert, Juan Muñoz and...
    Koen Vermeule, In Mirror, 2025, Gouache on paper, 33.5 x 27.5 cm

    His way of seeing is steeped in art history, with clear affinities to Georges Seurat, Léon Spilliaert, Juan Muñoz and Hokusai. In New Dawn, Vermeule once again enters into dialogue with Romanticism - figures turned from the viewer, standing at the edge of a landscape - yet firmly rooted in the present: in the city, in contemporary life.

     

    In 2025, Museum JAN in Amstelveen presented an extensive solo exhibition of Vermeule's work, entitled Poetry Suite - paintings and gouaches combined with fragments of song lyrics he has carried with him throughout his life. New Dawn at Art Rotterdam builds on that momentum: new, previously unseen work made from the same deeply personal vision of everyday life.

    • Koen Vermeule, Eye, 2017
      Koen Vermeule, Eye, 2017
      € 3,450.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Eye, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Eye, 2025
      € 3,950.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Beached, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Beached, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Lake, 2024
      Koen Vermeule, Lake, 2024
      € 3,650.00
    • Koen Vermeule, High above ground, 2024
      Koen Vermeule, High above ground, 2024
      € 3,900.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Ghosts, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Ghosts, 2025
      € 2,700.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Room, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Room, 2025
    • Koen Vermeule, Lake, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Lake, 2025
      € 3,800.00
    • Koen Vermeule, Stage, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, Stage, 2025
      € 2,850.00
  • " Beginning and promise; the questioning shadows suggest that something is about to happen - a moment between what was and what will be." -Koen Vermeule
    • Koen Vermeule, Mori Yellow, 2018
      Koen Vermeule, Mori Yellow, 2018
    • Koen Vermeule, In Mirror, 2026
      Koen Vermeule, In Mirror, 2026
    • Koen Vermeule, Scape, 2026
      Koen Vermeule, Scape, 2026
    • Koen Vermeule, The Gathering, 2026
      Koen Vermeule, The Gathering, 2026
    • Koen Vermeule, The Arrival, 2015-26
      Koen Vermeule, The Arrival, 2015-26
    • Koen Vermeule, Rain, 2024
      Koen Vermeule, Rain, 2024
    • Koen Vermeule, New Dawn, 2025
      Koen Vermeule, New Dawn, 2025
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    PLEASE EMAIL BAS@BORZO.COM