Doctrine of Salvation (2015) consists of a “room” constructed from metal and colored Perspex. Scratched into the walls are phrases and time markings that seem to suggest someone has stayed here for a long period. In the otherwise empty interior stands a stainless-steel sanitary unit (toilet and sink) and a foldable stretcher chair. Through two flexible hoses, the small space appears to be connected to a mysterious tube. Is it a high-tech energy reservoir for survival, or rather a supply channel carrying poisonous gas meant to kill?
De Jong is no stranger to the Gemeentemuseum. In 2013, he created a large-scale installation especially for the exhibition The Anatomical Lesson, consisting of four sculptures and seven wooden blocks painted in different colors. Inspired by a work by Paul Thek—a wax cast of an arm without skin in a yellow Perspex box—De Jong incorporated colored plexiglass into this installation, titled The Primacy of Matter over Thought (2013). Since then, transparent plastic has become a fixed element in his material palette.
Museum director Benno Tempel: “The museum already had beautiful works by De Jong in its collection. Because of its theme and use of materials, Doctrine of Salvation also connects to works in the collection by other artists such as Paul Thek, Constant, Francis Bacon, and Berlinde De Bruyckere, who, like De Jong, raise questions about the relationship between the artwork, the artist, and society.”
