Olav Brouwers' main character likes nothing more than to hide, with a cardboard bag or box over his head, hidden under a pillow or hidden behind an umbrella. The man in his paintings guards himself from the outside world, but does not escape the gaze of the artist, who places him almost ruthlessly in the spotlight.

His models are depicted alone, their faces deliberately turned away. They don't want or can't communicate with us. Outstanding, an English term that does not translate correctly into Dutch, is how you can call the lonely figures captured in oil paint. Is it desperate isolation, or is this escapism a conscious choice? Our contemporary culture forces us to show the best sides of ourselves. But hanging your head and escaping that urge to perform and vanity for a while is a form of self-care that we often don't exhibit.

Other objects also have a place. An aluminum prop or a stack of blocks are depicted in such a way that they appear immense compared to the tiny figures surrounding them. The enlargement makes everyday objects almost surreal and strange. We seem to be attending a ritual from another dimension.

In both the portraits and the still lifes, emotions such as melancholy and defeatism have the upper hand. Nevertheless, Olav Brouwers' work does not wallow in melancholy. With his work he gives himself and his audience a break, an escape from the rat race that dominates our daily lives. Hiding all away, if only for a moment.