Saskia Olde Wolbers: ‘Yes, these Eyes are the Windows’

2014_0521VanGoghHouse

“Yes, these eyes are windows, and this body of mine is the house”
Herman Melville, Moby Dick

87 Hackford Road in south London is rather a special address – for a few short months between 1873 and 1874 it was the home of famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. A blue plaque marks out the building, which is currently home to an installation by Saskia Olde Wolbers, ‘Yes, these Eyes are the Windows‘.

Saved from demolition when a postman discovered the house’s famous former resident in the 1970s, the house has gone from strength to strength; it is currently empty – has been since 2012 – and Wolbers has taken the opportunity to create a fascinating experience, drawing on the history of the building.

Entry is timed: you ring the doorbell when the people in front of you have left the building, and when the time is right you enter and begin to explore, guided by the lights, haunted by the voices that surround you, telling stories of the house and the people who lived there. The house is in a shabby state, with peeling wallpaper, holes in the ceiling, and bits of furniture lying about. Lights, photographs and old newspapers emphasise the history behind the building. It’s an eerie experience, and one which will stay with me for a while.

Van Gogh In Paris – Eykyn Maclean Gallery

There’s a mini exhibition on at the Eykyn Maclean Gallery in London, called Van Gogh In Paris. The gallery is rather posh – it’s in Mayfair after all – but the exhibition is free to view, although you have to register for a ticket online first. It’s small but well worth a visit, with beautiful works by Van Gogh and some of his contemporaries including Toulouse-Lautrec and Gauguin.

The exhibition looks at the experience and inspiration Van Gogh gained while in Paris between 1886 and 1888. I never used to like his paintings, but in the last few years I’ve begun to change my opinion. The painting I liked the most in the exhibition was actually of a pair of shoes – they are dark, old and muddy and looking at them you can imagine the wearer tramping through the fields.

The exhibition runs until the 29th of November, Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 4pm, at Eykyn Maclean, 30 Saint George Street (near Oxford Circus).