2024
TOUGH
Tough
4:3 video loop
00.24
A turtle held in a plastic bag filled with water against the backdrop of a vast, open sea hovers on the eye catching alignment of the waters and the hori- zon level. Where the two waters morph, Kruithof poetically captures the paradox of isolation and connection in the human made and natural world. Tough works through this one single image, inviting the viewer to pursue an invested journey through challenging poetic simplicity.
Here, the plastic bag becomes both a barrier and a lens to view the fragility of life and ecosystems. Its visual illusion of continuity between the sea and contained water seemingly blurs the boundary between the natural and artificial, yet in fact encap- sulates its modern codependency with a symbolic precision. The human world has effectively con- fined the sea itself, transforming its boundless es- sence into something regulated, commodified, and ultimately destructive. Can we once again distin- guish transparent plastic from transparent water— or has that boundary dissolved in daily habits of consumption? Yet, despite this narrowing of envi- ronmental potency, the defenseless turtle surfing on a sheet of water signals the persistent vitality of life. Its upward pull toward brightness and en- durance becomes a poignant reminder of resilience in the face of adversity. Through a single shot, Though mediates a relationship between fragility and strength, devastation and survival.
The turtle portrayed in the video was a private pet of Kruithof and experienced no harm in the process of the making of the video.
Flor Lickens for Art Rotterdam and Gallery viewer on Tough, 17-11-2024