Proverbial morning traffic
It was August 2024 that Anne Cappendijk’s father suddenly passed away while on holiday in the south of France. The experience catapulted them into a kind of emotional rush hour, a chaos of inner and outer traffic, which became the central theme of her installation Mourning Traffic. Through a forest of traffic signs, the work visualizes the disruption of her daily routine and emotional world ever since.
As a viewer, you can’t simply walk past the installation. You're drawn into the moment of shock when the news first hit, the overwhelming wave of feelings that followed, and the surreal experiences she went through as a young person in their early twenties. Her childlike innocence came to a sudden halt, leaving only memories in its place. The absence and pain are immense, so immense that those around her can scarcely begin to grasp it.
With this work, Anne invites you to step into the reality-shifting impact of losing a loved one. The overwhelming number of signs speaks to how difficult it is to find your way again, to navigate through the chaos of grief.
