Bas (39) Possibly 2015

Here is the text for the audio guide: Gerrit Meerman captured this image, ‘Bas (39)’, with a camera, presenting a man amidst his digital domain. The most striking element is the desk adorned with claw-like marks. Historically, animal claw marks are symbolic. These marks signify the hunt, the primal struggle for survival, a theme that echoes through time from cave paintings to heraldic emblems. Here, in the setting of virtual gaming, they undergo a curious metamorphosis. They are not literal, but rather applied as decoration, which reveals a sublimation of the ancient predatory drive into a modern-day simulated conquest. Consider how such symbols pervade human expression, resurfacing in unexpected guises. This echoes how collective memory and primal instincts are integrated into a contemporary setting. The image then becomes a commentary on our unending quest for mastery and control, played out in an eternal return.