Inflammation

Inflammation (2008) by Berend Strik takes as its subject the body's immune response — redness, swelling, heat, and pain as the body fights infection or heals.

The term comes from the Latin "inflamma" (to set on fire) — the body's internal fire that burns away what should not be there. Strik, who frequently works with warm colors (reds, oranges of velvet and threads), may be literalizing this fire in his textile interventions.

The inflamed state demands attention — the affected area becomes the focus of the body's attention. Strik's textile additions work similarly: they draw attention to specific parts of the image, making them flare up with color and texture against the flat photographic ground.

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters