SO WHAT
I’d like to confirm the cliché image of an artist. Paint-stained clothes, somewhere in a messy studio, contemplating a work that you’re mostly expected to believe is important. A biography that carefully explains how he got here, what inspires him, and which turning point eventually led to his current body of work. You want a success story. An artistic journey. A different perspective. Preferably some complicated terminology that you, as the reader, aren’t entirely sure you understand, but which makes you think: well, this guy must know what he’s doing. Because let’s be honest: many artist biographies are an immodest form of self-promotion with one main goal: selling. Without sales, less art. Or at least, a lot less of it.
/URGE TO MATTER
So we write, with or without the help of ai, a story in the third person, preferably as if it came from an established gallery that has been following us for years. We throw around terms like layering, artistic development, turning point and interdisciplinary practice. Not only to explain what we do, but also because of that underlying urge to matter and to be taken seriously. While in reality, we’re all just figuring it out as we go. Some people simply get lucky. Someone else has better connections, more discipline, or a greater reach within the algorithms. And a very small, select group doesn’t depend on any of that. They simply make authentic, original work. The rest of us perform, copy, or desperately search for a niche, a trick, a recognizable signature, or some way to stand out among countless other artists who also believe they have something to say. To disguise all of this, we wrap it in a carefully polished story with essentially one message: I am special and my work is unique. This biographey is part of that too. Few people have written a biography this honestly: one that is, in fact, simply a constructed story. And this was only the introduction.
/ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
Because what is my art actually about? Honestly, I don’t know exactly. And does that really matter? Do you want to know why the baker bakes bread? Maybe you do…There is an urge in me to make things. It came before any clear style or idea. Curiosity and a rather stubborn fascination with art and creating do the rest. One thing simply leads to another. It started in the late nineties with graffiti on the streets. A pure form of art, if you ask me. Later, I brought the street into my studio. Old posters and other materials from public spaces became part of my work. What had initially happened outside started happening again indoors. And slowly, a small factory emerged, with an international market. Alongside the logistics, the comfort grew too. So I took a step back, and looked at what I was actually doing. The desire to create remained, and my style evolved from more pop-oriented towards something resembling abstract figurative work. At a time when hyped, and often not particularly timeless, subjects and techniques dominate the art-scene, my heart started beating faster for more traditional: drawing, sketching and painting. Back to the ‘basics’ of graffiti, where it’s common to endlessly refine a single name. Searching for variations that remain recognizable and readable. Today, that same search for flow and variation finds its way into the female figure. Repeating yourself, while still making it slightly different every time. Trying to let go of reason and logic, while the figure continuously adapts itself almost on its own, waiting for spontaneous forms to emerge.
/SO HERE WE ARE
Putting it into words makes it sound like it was thought through very carefully. But in reality, most of it happens intuitively. And that can never really hurt, whether you like it or not. Ultimately it’s simply about making things that make me happy. And if they happen to stand out or resonate with someone else, that’s always a nice bonus. Anyway. Art doesn’t necessarily have to be beautiful, as far as I’m concerned. It can disturb. Pull you out of your routine. Surprise you, annoy you, or perhaps simply attract you, or repel you. I hope my work does a bit of all of those things. Ultimately, with every form of art, talking about the work is just as important as the work itself. So here we are. Thanks for your time. <3