Tiefer in die gedaken sehen

Tiefer in die Gedanken sehen (Looking Deeper into Thoughts, 2024) by Berend Strik uses German to suggest an investigation into the depths of mental life — the act of looking beyond surface appearances into the underlying structure of thought.

Strik frequently works with themes of perception and misperception, surface and depth. His textile interventions into photographs add physical depth to what is fundamentally a flat surface — making visible what lies beneath the literal surface of the image.

The use of German — rather than Dutch or English — adds a layer of Continental philosophical resonance. German Idealism, German Romanticism, and German Expressionism have all grappled with the relationship between appearance and reality, surface and depth.

"Looking deeper into thoughts" is also what Strik asks of his viewers: to look beyond the initial impression of the image and into the layers of meaning that his textile additions reveal.

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters