Being-seen-being

​Being-seen-being is an exhibition by Yolandé Gouws, where she explores a fleeting moment of encounter between the human and the forest. For Gouws, both human and forest exist in the same condition: being present while being witnessed. The title describes a moment of reciprocal encounter. You see the forest at one instant in its evolution, while the forest, through the bound branches, sees you at one instant in yours.

​The works hold fragments from the chestnut woods of Tailhos, France, that reveal the particular geometry of branches and twigs at the moment of capture. Cherry branches, which grow in quiet coexistence with the chestnuts, are held within chestnut-wood frames and bound in place with silk threads. In the works by Gouws, the forest holds agency, it participates by holding its own qualities and presence in relation to the viewer.

​This understanding extends to the encounter with the artwork itself. Each piece holds its own moment while meeting yours. The same reciprocal relation that exists between the observer and the forest exists between the observer and the artwork.

​Being-seen-being names this condition shared by forest, artwork, and viewer. All three exist simultaneously as observers and observed, refusing a clear division between subject and object. What Gouws captures is the crossing point where two evolving systems briefly meet, acknowledge each other's presence and qualities, and continue on their separate paths.