Introduction

By Jurriaan van Hall

Wether we attended the opening of the L.A. Art Fair naked and wearing clogs, or were prematurely removed from the KunstRai (huge Art fair in Amsterdam) because of the indecent behavior of one of our assistants, After Nature has been controversial since its beginnings. A performance by After Nature usually meant great indignation and annoyance, but also hilarity and admiration. We quickly became the lice in the fur of the art world. Not in the least because of the nomadic character of our painters life. What fascinated me was that everything and everyone we encountered received equal attention when it came to putting together a painted report of what we experienced. This allowed me to study people without any restraint, and to imagine dramas or joys in their eyes. These are the things that excited me, how a shoulder is attached or not attached to a torso, how hair grows or does not grow from someone’s head, how you can feel love if you look at someone, or how you can be amazed by a freak of nature. Bewilderment about your own head, which sometimes is no picnic.