In her recent sculptures, Els Kingma dissects the human form, both literally and figuratively. It is striking that the parts of the body show us individually more than the total. The heads and torques are stripped of everything superfluous. They have been reduced to the most essential form. Thus 'undressed' they reflect the core of the human condition. This striving for minimalism, however, is not a goal in itself for her. Nowhere does her working method lead to empty aesthetics or meaningless abstraction. By means of this stylized, 'thin' language of forms she seems to want to emphasize the naked reality of human existence. The torso has nothing voluptuous, busty or decadent, but tends towards purity and transcendence. In these undressed busts the attributes that are indispensable for survival such as breasts, legs, buttocks and crotch are only briefly shaped by a curve or a sculpted crease. The viewer has to make an effort to perceive them. They are depicted with restraint and reduced to simple forms in such a way as to give the impression that they are not parts of the body directed towards sex and reproduction, but aspects of the body which, like points and commas in a text, try to give direction to the reading of the reader or in this case to the observation of the viewer. Depending on the viewer's attention, the 'tortures' and 'heads' only gradually reveal their secrets. The urgency is not immediate but reveals itself step by step and becomes greater and more compelling every step of the way. She shows us her reality in an almost contemplative and introverted way. Her images are the opposite of 'noise art', of art that wants to 'please' or 'disturb'. She does not cause a stir with her images. Everything revolves around tranquillity. It is precisely this restrained expression that proves her craftsmanship.
Robert Klatser 2017