Rob van Leeuwen creates his Primal Landscapes from a deep connection with the earth. He has left traditional artists’ materials such as paint, brushes and canvases behind and replaced them with natural matter such as sand, lime, clay and whatever the earth gives him.

The rock cycle is the inspiration for the works on display. Seemingly untouchable mountains crumble into sand, clay, lime or sediment to be dispersed by rivers and eventually land at the bottom of the ocean, continuing through the interior of the earth to eventually reappear as a mountain after about 250 million years.

The origin of the Primal Landscapes is an organically growing process that starts with (sustainable) plasterboards. Lime plays a central role in the works, a material that has a strong symbolic value for Rob. The lime is extracted from the mountain with a lot of violence. Next it is burned and purified. Thereafter it has to stay submerged in water to stay soft until the moment of use. However, the moment the lime is exposed to air it will start to absorb CO2 and will begin to return to its natural state, stone. A process that cannot take place often enough these days.