'If everyone unites to make everything easier in every possible way, then there remains only one danger, namely, that convenience becomes so great that it becomes too easy; then only one loss off - the loss of difficulty. Out of love for humanity, I understood that that was my mission: to make trouble, everywhere. - Søren Kierkegaard / Johannes Climacus (1846).

Pauline Nijenhuis comes from the pre-internet era and she is strongly aware of the effects that the use of the internet has on our freedom, security and identity. She wonders, is it a blessing: unlimited acquisition of knowledge, arranging formalities or making purchases? Or is it a curse: being determined by coercion, complexity or vulnerability.

In her latest project Password; a curse or a blessing? she shows the vulnerability of our lives online. The concern about the relationship between humans and the digital world. In addition, Nijenhuis's work has undergone a fascinating technical development in recent years; she collaborated with computers when weaving her textile work. Moreover, the work has acquired a performative character. The artist himself frequently appears as a model.
In project 'De Vendeldragerster' the body literally takes center stage and she can convey her message without a machine.

Nijenhuis investigates how acceleration relates to our current society and our human body in this increasingly automated society; see also the Fast Work Time consuming Landscape and HAND@WORK projects. In her mixed-media paintings 'Fast Landscapes', Nijenhuis depicts 'speed' in a very labor-intensive and time-consuming technique (acrylic paint and hand embroidery). With this process she seeks to eliminate delays. Perhaps unconsciously a silent protest against the dizzying acceleration in our current high-tech era?

Foto credit  @quinn.e.a.oosterbaan

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