Robbert Pauwels - Mirror Mirror

Artist Robbert Pauwels has created a mural for the stairwell of the Palace of Justice. The physical act of walking up and down the stairs, each time seeing a different view, a different wall, offers the opportunity to tell a story that unfolds as you traverse the floors.

The figures you encounter in this visual story depict a range of emotions. At the same time, there is room for interpretation: each character can be seen as both vulnerable and powerful. Pauwels found the inspiration for this theme during an earlier visit to the Palace of Justice, where he saw a crying woman leaving a room. That image stayed with him and formed the starting point for a series of paintings centered on mixed feelings of pain and relief.

The murals are like blown-up watercolors, applied directly to the wall with transparent paint and large brushes. This creates a play between permanence and transience. That tension is noticeable in the work: tears are temporary, and the artwork will also only exist for a short time. The murals will be on display in the Palace of Justice for six months, after which they will be painted over.

Robbert Pauwels is the fourth artist in a series of eight solo presentations in the Palace of Justice. The exhibition is curated by Daphne Verberg and is a collaboration between Atelier Rijksbouwmeester and Nest.