Jan Boex

This Vain Journey

2026

Five small drawings, each about 12 × 10 cm, placed in the middle of a 34 × 26 cm sheet. They start from photographs Jan Boex took at different moments in his life: a street lamp in a garden, a canal at night, the path along a cemetery he walked by day and by night, an evening road, a low sun. Some of these places he knows well; others come from moments he can barely remember.

The series reflects on how much of our lives slowly fades from memory, and on how strange it is to encounter something that was once part of our reality but now feels distant, even unfamiliar. The white of the paper is left untouched and works as the mount. What remains is a small window onto a place that was once ordinary, seen from a distance.

  1. A street lamp lighting a garden path at night, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.A street lamp lighting a garden path at night, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.

    This Vain Journey I, 2026

  2. A canal at night with reflected street lights, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.A canal at night with reflected street lights, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.

    This Vain Journey II, 2026

  3. A lit path along a fence at night under a single lamp, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.A lit path along a fence at night under a single lamp, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.

    This Vain Journey III, 2026

  4. A road curving into a valley under an evening sky, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.A road curving into a valley under an evening sky, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.

    This Vain Journey IV, 2026

  5. A low sun behind a bank of grey cloud, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.A low sun behind a bank of grey cloud, a small drawing in the middle of a white sheet.

    This Vain Journey V, 2026