Arjan van Helmond

Arjan van Helmond made tapestries and ceramic tiles for four locations in the hospital. For The Garden of Life Flowers, Van Helmond was inspired by plants from which raw materials for medicines are extracted and the work that takes place in the hospital's pharmacy. Arjan van Helmond [Deurne, 1971] is a painter and in recent years has also worked with ceramics and textiles. In 2017 he won the Jeanne Oosting Prize, oeuvre prize for figurative painting.

The Garden of Life Flowers was commissioned by the Netherlands Cancer Institute and developed in collaboration with the TextielLab in Tilburg and the European Ceramic Work Centre in Oisterwijk (N-Brabant). The Mondriaan Fund, the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts and the TextielLab supported the realisation of this.

The artist made this work in response to a very dear person who was stricken with cancer. For the artist, 'Neutral Zone #4 (silver)' is one of the most important works from this period.  Van Helmond: "The title refers to the no man's land between two warring parties, and thus to the uncertainty and instability that this period entailed. The sea is not painted lying down as a landscape, but standing, as a physical entity, standing opposite you. It is both an image that strives for liberation, and an image of fear, of something that drags you along, that you have to resist, but you don't know how."

Arjan van Helmond (Deurne, 1971) is best known for paintings of interiors. In 2017 he won the Jeanne Oosting prize, with a series of sea paintings. His work is in museum and private collections at home and abroad.

'Neutral Zone #4 (silver)' is a donation from the artist to the Netherlands Cancer Institute out of gratitude and support.

Arjan van Helmond (1971) - Neutral Zone #4 (silver), 2017
Gouache on canvas.

This work is located in the central hall.