'Nature after Dark'

There are exhibitions you see, and there are exhibitions that happen to you — like a gust of wind through an open window, a confession in a letter you weren't expecting, or the snapping of a branch deep in the woods when you were sure you were alone.

'Nature After Dark', now on show at the Christian Ouwens Gallery in Rotterdam, undeniably belongs to the latter category. For what is nature when humans close their eyes? What lurks around when light—that age-old ally of reason—finally recedes?

This exhibition, a kaleidoscopic night flight along the fringes of dream and darkness, brings together artists who, at first glance, seem to speak no common language. And therein lies their strength. Armando, who has previously explored the tragedy in the landscape; Quentin Blake, whose delicate lines give darkness a dreamy appearance, with a collection of 'Insects' etchings and 'Dream Owls' in watercolour (pictured, above);. Piet Hein Eek, who allows rough wood to breathe the silence of the night; and. Micha Patiniott, Sjoerd Buisman, James Aldridge, Karel Appel, Eugène Brands, and Carel Visser—all composers of the unknown, the vibrant, the vegetal unease that blossoms in moonlight.

It's an exhibition like a forest where you orient yourself by sound, scent, and intuition. Where materials whisper. Where seemingly innocent objects begin to exude something unsettling as your gaze wanders. Nature, but without the reassuring guide of daylight.

Christian Ouwens Gallery is open Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Mondays-Fridays by appointment. Please contact the gallery for further details of how to buy the artworks on show.