In his work, Paul Hendrikse (Terneuzen, NL, 1977) explores the interfaces between history, biography and fiction. He creates contexts or situations in which ephemeral elements such as impressions, absences, emotions, movements, gestures and mimetic memories are brought to the fore.
His working materials often consist of autobiographies of people that are well known, or at least well known in a specific context. Paul Hendrikse often chooses personalities or biographies that have come to be recognised and reconstructed – mainly after the death of the individual – as part of the cultural heritage, or of a political ideology. These are people whose mythic, iconic, emotionally authentic/righteous renown is such that they can only be remembered in a mystified form. His interests include micro-stories of historical individuals and the uncertainties, myths, speculations and warped representations associated with them. These form the basis from which he examines the complex relationship between art, culture and politics, as well as the role of perception in this context.
His work is often the result of extensive research and intense artistic collaborations with writers, performers and philosophers, among others. In recent years, he has collaborated several times with the German choreographer/performer Martin Nachbar, the American philosopher Alphonso Lingis, the Dutch choreographer and performer Carolien Hermans, and the Austrian musician/composer Rudi Fischerlehner. The work takes on different forms and the productions include installations, books, audio works, video works and performances.
Paul Hendrikse studied at the Art Academy in Den Bosch and at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. He has presented work both in group and solo exhibitions and has won several awards. In recent years, he has exhibited work at, among others, the Video Biennale Contour, Mechelen, Belgium; MGLC, Ljubljana, Slovenia; CC Mechelen, Belgium (solo); S.M.A.K., Ghent (solo); ENSAPC, Paris; Bozar, Brussels; Onomatopee, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Blank, Turin, Italy; Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland; Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna, Austria and Smart Project Space, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (solo).