In her work, Emma Van Roey explores the vulnerability of human existence, the transience of materials, and our relationship with time. Her images emerge from a desire to gain a hold on what cannot be held: a moment, a feeling, a memory, an image that is constantly changing.
Material and action form the starting point of her practice. Van Roey works with materials such as sand, wire, wood, and textiles. These materials embody a physical vulnerability. Sand cannot be grasped, wire is thin and fragile, wood offers support while at the same time being subject to time. By bringing these materials together, she attempts to envelop and hold something that, in essence, cannot be held.
Time is not only explored but also used as a material. Repetition, slowing down, and prolonged, sometimes seemingly unproductive actions are integral to the process. She builds, wraps, binds, and stretches until an image emerges that can exist only temporarily. Once completed, it is handed back to time. The material weakens, shifts, or falls apart, and what was once a coherent image returns to loose matter.
This transience is an integral part of the work. The image exists in the moment and occupies the space between control and the loss of control. By making the temporary nature of her installations visible, Emma confronts the viewer with their own vulnerability and mortality. Her works invite us to pause and reflect on what is, what is lost, and what we try to hold on to.
