The oeuvre of Pieter Laurens Mol (Breda, 1946) consist of photographic works, sculptures and works on paper and show a combination of the conceptual and a sensitivity to earthy materials and the conditions of Arte Povera. These characteristics connect Mol’s oeuvre to that of other European artists of his generation, like Michelangelo Pistoletto, Hreinn Fridfinnsson and Joseph Beuys.
Mol brings objects, substances, ideas and words or expressions together in vibrant and often mysterious constellations. The works have an uncanny presence as they appear to be light and playful, but at closer look are rather explosive or instructional and often doused in melancholy. His worldly view is based on a natural attraction to romance and Dichtung and Fabulation is his preferred method of working.
The central installation of this show is Angles of Incidence (The Nine Lines), 1989. Rust, with is red-brown hues, is a key material: a condition of transition. The title of the installation suggests that the viewer will enter an abstract sphere, a fantasy realm. It is part of a large series of works dedicated to Mars: the planet, but also the God of War, who’s sanguine temperament is often associated with will power (but also curiosity). In the sculptures, drawings and paintings of this series, Mol reveals and meditates on this combative disposition. Perhaps we need this to reconsider what will power is, or what it could be? There are playful and serious responses to such questions, but Mol leaves the answer open.