
In the bustling waiting room of Outpatient Clinic Blue at Wilhelmina Children's Hospital hang 3 works by Jakup Ferri. Ferri makes videos and drawings, from large wall drawings to small pocket drawings. In his drawings he sketches in an unaffected and disarming way the human being in wonderful and sometimes absurdist situations. He finds his inspiration in his daily life, his artistic processes and his childhood in Pristina, Kosovo. The work in the waiting room has the cartoonish style of his drawings. This time Ferri has created a mosaic, an ancient technique that is still commonly used by artists today. Ferri's interest in folk art, in which craft plays an important role, inspired him to use other materials and techniques, such as mosaic. For this mosaic, he used the cardboard packaging material of food products. The situations in which Ferri places his figures arise during the creation process. Here we see the characteristic figure recurring in his work, the second from the right, basking in seemingly good company in the shady shelter of the parasol. This figure is not Ferri himself, the artist once declared, but it is an iconic character. The face of his protagonist first brings Ferri to life. The state of mind develops naturally and will define the scene. Even after Ferri completes his work, the story continues. Ferri's stories are never really "finished," but always invite the viewer to complete the story themselves.
Text: Mieke van der Star
Photography: Thomas Dobber