Victor van Loon – Nightshades

Victor van Loon – Nightshades 

From September 7 to November 16, 2025, Victor van Loon will present his solo exhibition, Nightshades, at Afslag BLV. The exhibition features a series of works from previous periods alongside new work. Drawing is the starting point for Van Loon's exploration of new avenues to further shape his world in a multidisciplinary way.

Innerscapes
His mixed-media drawings—primarily in pencil and dry pastel, occasionally supplemented with incisions in the paper—seem to evoke the atmosphere of etching. The works are constructed slowly and layered, referencing landscapes and mountainous structures. Van Loon explores themes of degradation and transformation. He considers these images as layered and submerged "innerscapes": inner landscapes in which traces and signs linger beyond the surface.

"If we opened people up, we'd find landscapes"—Agnès Varda, director

Neon Fern & Nightshades
The exhibition also features work from the multidisciplinary project Neon Fern (2020-present), in which the artist combines photography, film, and spatial work to further explore his themes. He collaborates with photographer Hanne van der Velde and filmmaker Lawand Zaza. 

In the Nightshades series, Van Loon experiments with physically built constructions—assemblages composed of inexpensive materials like cardboard, paper, and tape—that undergo photographic transformation. Both completed works and works in progress are included in this exhibition.

About the artist
Since graduating from the Minerva Academy in Groningen in 2004, Victor van Loon (Groningen, 1978) has developed a multifaceted practice in which drawing, photography, video and installations complement each other. Van Loon received the Dooyewaarde stipend (Dooyewaarde stipend) for his work in 2004. He lives and works in Groningen.