‘VerteerWezen 14 (embrace rejection)’ 1984-2021
oil painting on multiplex board, aluminium mesh, papier maché, mod podge

in 1984 (when I was 17 years old) i painted in oils, not having had much of art education
i admired surrealism as you can see
when turning 18, i did my first application for art school (to the one in Den Bosch),
and i brought a series of these paintings
the jury sent me out to wait, and after only a few minutes i was called back in and told “you have absolutely no talent”
i travelled home to my parents, and vowed to fight
a year later i got into the art school in Rotterdam, started my art career, and later taught at that Den Bosch art school
now, 37 years later, i received all my childhood painting back from my parents’ house
and am starting to rework them

this object is exhibited as object in itself, ao in my solo ‘VerteerWezens (handed down, revalued)’ in Anningahof 2023
and was used to create the ‘VerteerWezen’ photo work ‘embracing rejection’ 2022

‘VerteerWezens’ is an ongoing series of spatial objects in papier-mâché, started in 2017. The title can be roughly translated as ‘digested-beings’. In each work, a rejected object or utensil from either my home or my studio is combined with aluminium modelling mesh, cardboard and/or other materials. This is often covered with a layer of papier maché made from shredded left-over papers, magazines, waste paper. In this way, used objects, materials and older art works are “digested” by turning them into creatures/beings.
By photographing myself behind/with these sculptures, the relation between the affect-rich object and my concrete physical body becomes clear.
The series ‘VerteerWezens’ is ongoing, and so are the related photo works.

all ‘VerteerWezen’ works: ‘VerteerWezen 1 (crouching orange)’ 2017 / ‘VerteerWezen 2 (standing blue)’ 2018 / ‘VerteerWezen 3 (reclining black)’ 2017 / ‘VerteerWezen 4 (lying greens)’ 2018 / ‘VerteerWezen 5 (red arms)’ 2018 / ‘VerteerWezen 6 (cowering in suitcase)’ 2020 / ‘VerteerWezen 7 (lilac shredded)’ 2019 / ‘VerteerWezen 8 (red DenkRaum)’ 2019 / ‘VerteerWezen 9 (skins and stones)’ 2019 / ‘VerteerWezen 10 (in yellow arms)’ 2019 / ‘VerteerWezen 11 (protest&berusting)’ 2020 / ‘VerteerWezen 12 (growing teeth)’ 2020 / ‘VerteerWezen 13 (carrying sleigh)’ 2020-2023 / ‘VerteerWezen 14 (embrace rejection)’ 1984-2021 / ‘AAN-balance together’ 2021 / ‘VerteerWezen 15 (retrieved arms)’ 2020-2022 / ‘VerteerWezen 16 (white shield)’ 2021-2023 / ‘VerteerWezen 17 (open up - remade)’ 2003-2021 / ‘VerteerWezen 18 (bird cover)’ 1977- / ‘VerteerWezen 19 (old pain) 1984- / ‘VerteerWezen 20 (snowwhite revisited) 2022-2023

all ‘VerteerWezen’ photo works: ‘DenkRaum’ 2019 / ‘behind skins and stones’ 2019 / ‘behind red arms’ 2020 / ‘behind shredded lilac’ 2019 / ‘embracing rejection’ 2021 / ‘behind arms’ 2022 / ‘hiding behind witheid (whiteness)’ 2022 / ‘GreenDressFun’ 2021-2023

other face facade works:’shield 1’ 2011 (porcelain) / ‘stonelips’ 2012 (photo) /