Claudy Jongstra's artistic and activist practice is the driving force behind her solo exhibition at Museum De Lakenhal. "Who still knows anything about plant-based colour?" ("Wie weet nog iets van een plantaardige kleur?") documents the translation of Jongstra's atelier and sustainable working farm & field lab into a multi-sensory exhibition experience.

Many thanks to filmmaker Marit Geluk and Museum De Lakenhal for the realization of this film.

Situated just footsteps from the shore of the Maas, the Limburgs Museum pays homage to this mighty body of water, of life. At the request of curator Servé Hermans (artistic director of Toneelgroep Maastricht), visual artist Claudy Jongstra partakes in this homage with a piece entitled FOUR. Four moods of the river are reflected with four idioms in wool - mighty, saturated, luminous and tidal. Each idiom, unearthed from the margins of the Maas, is expressed in four distinct compositional styles and natural colour palettes. Derived from indigenous dye plant species cultivated and foraged in Limburg, each colour palette embodies particular “gebiedseigen” qualities of the regional landscape. Wool, the body of the work, is local kempisch sheep's wool sourced in collaboration with a holistic land conservation organisation - rendering FOUR an artwork that describes the diversity of the Maas in both character and ecology.

In this installation, FOUR encircles a sculptural installation piece by artist Berlinde de Bruyckere. Unknown until recently, a mass grave of war horses was discovered on the brinks of the Maas. De Bruyckere symbolically addresses this event through a carnal, decayed depiction of the animal, whilst the circling motion of FOUR sparks a dialogue between the two artworks.

The canvases of FOUR face the perished being like an altarpiece looking over a saint’s relic, enfolding it in a protective embrace, a womb’s nurture. Four moments, four natures, four moods of the Maas - muse, monster, murderer and mother.

Watercolor for Two Rivers, created for The Wallace Foundation, commissioned by Deborah Berke Partners. In this is one-of-a-kind artwork,  Jongstra draws inspiration from the Hudson and East Rivers that frame the north-facing view of Manhattan from The Wallace Foundation’s Social Hub. The delicate, undulating composition of natural fibers evokes an underwater landscape hidden in the depths of these salt water estuaries. The aquatic color palette, masterfully hand-dyed with seaweed foraged from the islands off the northern coast of The Netherlands, honors and expands upon the versatile role of vegetation in oceanic systems.

Tribute to the Planets, a densely felted, low sheen woolen mural, celebrates the richness and quality of natural materials that Earth has to offer. An inspiring, multi-sensory element for the new Triodos Bank Headquarters by RAU Architects, Jongstra’s artwork contributes to the creation of a healthy working environment. The intensity of the colours in this work is the result of extensive distillation processes with the purest plant material, in combination with newly-acquired knowledge about historical natural dye processes from Jongstra’s ongoing research in collaboration with the ERC Artechne project.

Jongstra’s mural radiates warmth and vitality in golden, pink and red hues - extracted from roots and plants like madder and onion skin - are interlaced with characteristic deep blues derived from indigo leaves.

Values that are central to Triodos Bank - providing a healthy and inspirational environment for mankind whilst carefully sustaining our planet - are also pivotal to Claudy Jongstra’s art practice. Tribute to the Planets expresses shared concerns about eco-awareness, collaborative stewardship of people and planet, and preservation of ancient knowledge and crafts.