Edwin Kragten
Edwin Kragten is an artist who is clearly fascinated by time. When you look at his work you get the feeling that he thinks his live is much too short and that he wants to stop time.
In his sculptures and wall-objects he translates decomposition into art. He removes natural materials from the process of decay. For example, he takes old rust from crap yards and salt decayed drift wood from beaches. From these materials he makes almost mythological sculptures and wall-objects. They maybe keepers of another world, where no time exists; guardians of bygone ages or future times and cultures.
Along with current materials Edwin Kragten works with tar, red-lead, cement etc. He uses the preservative qualities of these materials as an expressive means by itself. Tar with it’s deep black shine that runs over metal, mixing with white oil paint, creates magnificent structures with soft brown tones.
Edwin Kragten is a passionate artist who gives expression to his strength and pain along with his hopes and fears. The sculptures and wall-objects, with their powerful and stylish radiation, bring up emotions in us which we never knew we had. These works touch us in mysterious ways and make us whish we could dissolve within it. The powerful compositions, form and movement, with these materials and colours, makes this work far from easy and that’s also not what the artist has in mind. With his work he wants to show us other dimensions and try to make us look and think in a different way.
Working in series with his graphic the artist continues to work in the same etching plate. As well as his early, the artists recent etches show us a whole personal and new technique.
What makes the art of Edwin Kragten so fascinating, is that his technical abilities through experimenting, creating and recreating showing liveliness with lack of rigidity that leads to views of new and surprising developments.