Nona Mooij makes small-sized works with distinct painterly gestures. Her paintings are part of a continuous process in which Mooij brings a balance in her works that contains just enough friction to challenge, but is always in harmony. While Mooij paints from photographs of remarkable, joyful or intimate moments from her personal life, she deliberately blurs her depictions. She does this by imposing various restrictions on herself during the process of painting, such as working solemnly with a specific type of paint, using large brushes, or by painting in certain patterns or shapes.

As a figurative painter, Mooij regards abstraction as a troublesome notion, but this is exactly where her quest towards balance begins. By applying restrictions and abstraction, she adds a more universal appeal to her work. While retaining the intimacy of her own memories, the meaning of the work no longer belongs to her, but opens up to the interpretation of the spectator.

Text by Menno Vuister