Pieter Lerooij and Ulrike Balkau both create work that satirizes and sometimes criticizes our institutions, politics, society and social norms. Both artists enjoy provoking the viewer, prodding them to come back for a second look and seek out the more subtle dialogue within the artwork. Something happens when artists anthropomorphize animals and objects. The trivial and pedestrian situations depicted become: magical; the work of the Gods; adorable and approachable yet removed and distanced. Anthropomorphism is an ancient tool employed by artists to encourage reflection and closer observation of our relationship to the world.

If you’re familiar with Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, “Maus,” than you already have an inkling of what Pieter’s visual storytelling can be like. Pieter’s inventive use of anthropomorphic figures to act out the drama of his narratives makes for compelling theater. He is a master draftsman, painter and is not only capable of capturing character emotions, but also the drama of the space. Pieter uses lighting situations in his compositions that reference the old masters of painting and printmaking like, Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, and Francisco Goya.

Ulrike uses a variety of materials and techniques to create her unique portraits. She works with heavy materials like concrete and metal, but also surprising found objects like fungus, railroad ties, toys, and heavy machinery parts. Her artworks are figurative, typically in the form of a bust but sometimes the artist expands on the human form. The beings Ulrike creates feel present in the space, they’re not merely representations. Her figures are ghostly, loaded with other-worldly qualities that leave the viewer wondering from where they came.