JAN VAN DER PLOEG
THE SCORE
JAN VAN DER PLOEG
THE SCORE
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THE SCORE
17 - 31 Oct 2026
Stepdown is delighted to present a new in-situ wall work by Dutch, Amsterdam-based artist Jan van der Ploeg.
Spanning the width of our upstairs mezzanine space, THE SCORE references a blank musical stave, indexing precise panoramic latitudes while quietly amplifying the wall of the space into an open visual score. As an iteration of an ongoing series, this visual form of Van der Ploeg’s sometimes works as a stand-alone piece, while at other times serves as a backdrop against which an exhibition of other artists' work can be 'composed.’
For Stepdown’s hosting of this work, a number of local musicians will perform in front of the piece over the duration of the exhibition, each drawing from the scale and openness of the work as a departure into musical excursions of their own.
Opening Celebration: Saturday 17 October・4pm
All welcome.
Jan van der Ploeg (1959, Amsterdam) works with an organised and recognisable visual language that he has carefully constructed throughout his career. Since 1997, his paintings have incorporated the “grip”, a rounded rectangular form that functions as an anchor amidst the endless potential of forms and shapes. Another recurring element is the use of patterns created through repetition. It is within these methodologies and restrictions that Van der Ploeg excels; in limitation, the master reveals himself.
His paintings are closely connected to his sketching process, a careful process of planning and constructing that takes place before painting begins. Making a composition is like shuffling flat building blocks of graphic forms and experimenting with an infinite palette of tints and colours. This confined playground gives Van der Ploeg the freedom and pleasure to create ever more surprising yet carefully balanced combinations.
Van der Ploeg has exhibited extensively internationally, including at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA PS1, New York; Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. He has exhibited extensively in New Zealand, including at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, City Gallery Wellington, Hamish McKay Gallery, Two Rooms and Sumer. In 1999, he founded the artist-run gallery PS projectspace in Amsterdam.
Web: https://www.janvanderploeg.com/
Instagram: @janvanderploegstudio
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