Netherlands, 1957
In my earlier work, my immediate surroundings, my family in particular, served as the primary source of inspiration. Today, my focus has shifted inward. Central themes are my complex relationship with faith: both my aversion to it and my enduring fascination with it. I explore the search for answers and the consequences that arise from that pursuit. My parents, my wife, and my daughter form a continuous thread throughout this process of self-reflection, which finds expression in both paintings and stories.
The layering exists not only within the works themselves, but also in the way they are created. The paintings are constructed as collages. I develop the compositions digitally, assembling each narrative from fragments of photographs and elements of other paintings. I allow myself the freedom to draw on art history, quoting and recontextualising its imagery while blending it with contemporary visual language. Gouache enables each underlying surface to merge seamlessly with the layers applied above it. The stories, too, are collages, interweaving personal experiences with music and imagery into theatrical solo performances that explore the spirit of the times, mental health, and the search for meaning.