The Exit Practice

The Exit Practice (2023) by Berend Strik suggests an investigation into the practice of leaving — the art of departure, the ritual of going away, or the ongoing rehearsal for an exit that may never come.

"Exit practice" could refer to the preparation for death — the final departure — or to the rehearsal of leaving that characterizes certain relationships or situations. The title invites multiple interpretations without settling on any single one.

Strik's practice of transforming photographs through textile interventions can be seen as an act of "exit" — leaving the original image behind, departing from simple documentation toward something more layered and ambiguous. Yet the original photograph is still present beneath the textile additions, never fully departed.

The tension between departure and return, between leaving and staying, is one that Strik explores through the permanence of his textile additions to the ephemeral medium of photography.

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters