Esther Hovers

Works

Structures

GALLERY

SYNOPSIS

For her work entitled ‘Structures’, Esther Hovers created a series of photographs on linen. A material that can be folded repeatedly without tearing, linen has traditionally been the material of choice in the production of maps.

The starting point for this body of work was a series of human rights debates with teenagers. When asked the question: “What is a Visa?”the teens in most cases had no idea how to answer. From these discussions, the idea was born to focus on a portrayal of the so-called Erasmus generation, a generation born with freedom of movement and yet seemingly unaware of the extreme fortune of this situation.

The individual works that make up this project were made through a series of chance meetings in the city of Brussels. The still lifes and portraits have consciously been shot while walking. Hovers’ work was created in an essayistic manner while reflecting on the EU freedom of movement. The choice to use linen as the primary material for these works mimics the techniques of traditional map-making. The foldable nature of these prints references the structure not only of the material itself but the man-made concept of territory as a structure as well.

MATERIALS

Structures,
58 x 46 cm (22.8 x 18.1 in.) Archival pigment prints on Tosa Shi – 54 gsm, fixed on linen.

Structures (Antique Maps), 2019,
40 x 50 cm, Lithographs glued on linen.

RELATED WORKS
Installation Views of Structures

Structures, 2019, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam (NL), Mixed Media, dimensions variable.

Arti et Amicitae

Structures, 2021, Track & Trace at Textile Museum Courtrai / Kortrijk (BE) Archival pigment prints on linen, dimensions variable. Photo: Lize Rubens

Textile Museum Kortrijk

WORKS – Structures

2016-19