The White House 2020

100 cm x 130 cm x 7 cm (individual piece 100 x 55 cm x 7 cm)
Assemblage of found and salvaged wood. The black piece is charred salvaged wood.
Diederick Kraaijeveld/Oudhout The Netherlands

I only work with found wood, that I do not paint. Sometimes I use a torch to color the materials.

The White House 2020 represents my feelings about what is happening in the American society right now. The turmoil where the country is in. The extreme tensions, different groups getting more and more polarized. White vs Black, Democrats vs Republicans, rich vs poor.

It hurts! Since my first visit to the United States, as an exchange student to the University of Texas at Austin TX in 1986, I have been visiting this wonderful country every year. I came over to visit and travel with friends and enjoyed the most precious vacations with my family.

In these years I met with the most wonderful people, made friendships for life and experienced the best moments of my – already blessed – life. I found American society to be enormously inspiring and I loved being there every second. Now I feel lots of pain and despair.

I deeply hope and pray that the US will overcome the current challenges, and this polarization will come to an end.

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