Patterns of repetition fill the gap that exists between static images and animated ones. A single, fixed image comes alive when it is repeated over and over, with some slight variation, to create movement and tell a story. Dutch artist Serge Onnen’s video animation, “Break,” surrounded by his illustrated pink wallpaper titled “Silence Fence” at Dikeou Collection, combines stillness with motion to create an installation that immerses the viewer in the power of repetition. The placement of Onnen’s artwork in the collection (in the women’s restroom) creates a combination of viewer experiences as well, where it can be seen both publicly and privately. This unorthodox location is actually quite advantageous as it is the most frequented room on the entire 5th floor of the building, continuing Onnen’s conceptual drive toward movement, stasis, and rhythm.

Onnen created “Break” and “Silence Fence” through drawing, and hands appear prominently in these works, thus making them additional important themes. In “Break” two arms extend from the left and right sides on the screen and smash together random objects like lamps, telephones, and beer mugs. The objects break apart into pieces, and the hands then touch in someway before they pull apart offscreen and reappear for another smash session. An eccentric, non-melodic, guitar plays the soundtrack. “Silence Fence,” which covers all the walls in the bathroom, is composed of people holding their hands to the their ears. Their facial expressions reveal various states of displeasure, insinuating that they are experiencing some terrible deafening noise. Perhaps they are absorbing this noise, placing the viewer on the quieter side of the “Silence Fence.”

The way Onnen poses his figures, with their hands held to their hands, expresses his interest in the complex relationship between our brains and hands. The connection these two parts of the body share is what enabled humans to create, to build, and evolve. It is also what gives us the capacity to draw, a creative activity that Onnen holds in the highest esteem, as it is the generative process for all other artful mediums and is accessible to every human on this earth. Drawing is an exercise that, when done regularly, strengthens the mind and sharpens coordination.

When there is a lack of mindfulness, hands become tools for destruction rather than creation. In “Break,” where heads are absent, the hands demolish objects that were originally designed and made with much thought and intention. The gentle way the hands touch each other, though, after they break something, suggests that this is not a violent act but rather one that symbolizes release. We are often slaves of our own creation, and recklessly destroying something can be mentally liberating.

-Hayley Richardson