Museum Valkenburg presents an overview of the intriguing work of the contemporary artist (Roosendaal, 1967). “Gimme Shelter” refers to the Rolling Stones’ psychedelic song and is the title of a triptych. The name expresses the desire for spirituality. About thirty – mostly recent – paintings and watercolors are on display. Judith Krebbekx was educated in Amsterdam at the Rietveld Academy (photography and painting) and the National Academy of Visual Arts. She lives in Meerssen and exhibits at home and abroad. Her work is part of various collections of private individuals, museums and companies such as the Zuyderland Art Collection, Bonnefanten Collection, De Domijnen Collection, art collection of ABN-AMRO, Sanquin and the Province of Limburg.

Mythology

Judith Krebbekx, daughter of an artist, draws inspiration from ancient folk tales, classical mythology, legends of saints and religion. Krebbekx links her own vision of contemporary society to these stories. Stories are a way for her to get a grip on life.

She herself says about this: “If you analyze those stories, they are about a few things. Our unconscious drives, our greatest fears, our most secret desires and those are human motivations. ” These themes are strongly expressed in her work in a unique contemporary visual language with different compositions.

Hortus Conclusus of Love

Judith Krebbekx’s paintings, which she calls “painted landscapes”, are collages of images. They are made up of thin layers of acrylic paint. Dark colors predominate with luminous details. The images are full of symbolism. This also applies to a triptych, modeled after a classic altarpiece. The monumental centerpiece represents the Hortus Conclusus of Love, the enclosed garden of love. The child is safe here, but the black crow in the performance betrays a change in the future. The child, an imagination of ourselves, cannot, of course, be protected forever. But the garden also represents Europe, which we have built a fence around to keep out refugees, poverty and change.

Titles

Krebbekx prefers cryptic titles such as “Until the devil’s turned to dust”, “Black sheep white lies” and “Lalalover up we go”. The titles give an extra meaning to her enigmatic works.

Carnival poster

In 2013 Judith Krebbekx sparked a heated discussion with her design for the carnival poster, commissioned by the Province of Limburg. This shows the image of a dark, decorated face with fairly austere basic colors. Not everyone appreciated the design, but for the artist, carnival is a celebration of freedom.