The Finger and the Trigger

Exhibition at Suzanne Biederberg Gallery in Amsterdam, 30 April – 11 June 2022

Installations, work on paper, objects, photography and video

Foremost in Niek Verschoor’s work since 2002 is his research into violence and the threat of violence in society. His projects have been carried out at various locations in The Netherlands and abroad. He has made work in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, as sending the first Dutch artwork into space, aboard a satellite (KISS in Space). In 2023, his work (Last) Bullet will be launched to remain forever on the moon, on a lunar lander. 

Verschoor has made a series about gun triggers, showing that the connection between the finger and the trigger is not optional. The trigger, a wee piece of metal, represents the most essential part of the mechanism, responsible for its irrevocable and devastating consequences. The trigger is the sole meeting point of human finger and killing machine, and it pinpoints the exact moment where the human decision is ultimately made to release lethal violence. Whoever pulls the trigger doesn’t just hit the target, but first and foremost himself.