AMSTERDAM.- The Merchant House opened its new season, dedicated to artistic collaborations, with an exhibition featuring longtime partners in life: leading Dutch sculptor Leo Vroegindeweij and painter Ruth Meijer.
Vroegindeweij’s art—that is, its rare uniqueness—captures both the physicality of sculpture and the play of the literal and the metaphorical. It is fitting, therefore, that this exhibition takes its inspiration (point of departure) from Vroegindeweij and Meijer’s journey this past summer: a road trip to transport his work to Puglia, Italy, for one of Vroegindeweij’s “ephemeral projects.” Vroegindeweij placed his sculpture—for a single-night, site-specific installation—within the architecture of a Puglian trullo as part of the program of Dep Art Out, in collaboration with The Merchant House.
Now taking center stage at the art gallery The Merchant House in Amsterdam (Vroegindeweij’s home base), the sculpture—its precarious configuration of large spherical mirrors on massive limestones unchanged—is both the same and something else. Its transfer by car, some 2,000 kilometers north for a gallery show, with its inescapable commercial and institutional implications, invites a comparison: that of a rearview mirror—gesturing to a familiar perspective when driving, the play of vision in motion, as well as to the uncertainty of a shift in perspective in and of itself.
nter the work of Meijer: paintings with their own literal clarity. Showing the view from the passenger seat (Vroegindeweij presumably driving), these roadside snapshots in vibrant acrylics focus primarily on the humble backs of trucks and other passing views. A wry take on the everyday sublime—perhaps in the spirit of Art Brut—they capture what trails us, what hauls the weight, and what is usually overlooked, only to amaze when rediscovered. Meijer’s paintings are raw, immediate, and wryly observational, offering a grounded counterpoint to Vroegindeweij’s sculptural and conceptual ephemerality.
It is Meijer’s series that sets the scene for Vroegindeweij’s choice of additional mirror-based works, extending the play of impressions throughout the space. The mirrors reticulate by doubling— reflecting on Meijer, on us, and on their own forms (Vroegindeweij’s scale-model machinery adds to the “along the road” theme), ghosting both desire and fetish. Surprisingly, we find ourselves in- and outside of art, transported by images of fleeting encounters and lasting kinship.
Leo Vroegindeweij (b. 1955, NL) has been a defining figure in Dutch sculpture since the 1980s and is a laureate of the Prix de Rome. Known for his auratic, material works, his recent practice has shifted toward decentralized—or, in his words, “ephemeral”—architectural interventions. His notable “ephemeral projects” include those for Dep Art Out’s trullo in Puglia, Italy (2025), The Merchant House’s stijlkamer (2023), ARTZUID Amsterdam (2017, curated by Rudi Fuchs), and various indoor and outdoor locations in France. His work is represented in major museum collections, e.g., the Kröller-Müller Museum’s renowned sculpture park.
Ruth Meijer (b. 1954, NL) brings a striking, unconventional voice to contemporary painting. After pursuing art history in Amsterdam, she turned to painting two decades ago, developing a practice that reflects both immediacy and a deep understanding of the medium. This TMH exhibition, inspired by a road journey, highlights her painterly vision: moments of meaning caught in passing, which, for Meijer, are best captured with brush and paint. Meijer’s vibrant, figurative, cartoon-inspired acrylics have earned her a devoted following among Dutch collectors, leading to exhibitions in the Netherlands and France. Meijer and Vroegindeweij have been partners for 50 years. They live and work between Amsterdam and Méligny-le-Grand, France.
