Films (2000 - 2003)
Kunst voor het volk! (quicktime / realmedia) Art for the people! (spoken Dutch)
Lieftallig kleinschalig terrorisme (quicktime)
Highways (quicktime)
Animations (2003)
The flesh made word (quick time 2,5 1 min) Contains adult material (music by Bertin van Vliet)
The flesh made word (10 sec versie) (quick time 1,2 MB) Contains adult material (music by Bertin van Vliet)
Dia-shows(2000 - 2002) (flash)
About my work:
The use of media and television culture
Basically, I do not use any medium in particular. I use the medium that suits
the work best. For three years, I have mainly worked with video. In my opinion,
the image of present-day culture is mainly determined by video, or rather television.
An evening of zapping gives a fairly accurate idea of our present-day culture.
The fact that television does not only reflect, but at the same time defines
culture, is not a reason for me to infinitely campaign against it. I rather
consider this as a fact to take into account as an artist.
Video performances
By means of conscious or unconscious comparison with television, video performances
directly relate to everyday culture. In my opinion, art should relate to modern
culture. Therefore, television as a medium is particularly suitable for my work.
This medium enables me to directly incorporate theoretical reflections in my
work. For my films I use several television genres, such as documentary, film
and videoclip.
Free beer performances
The basic idea for this work is the cliché "Art for the people",
and in this line of thought the question "Art for the people?". The
public is not eager for art, instead, it prefers consuming! I give the people
what they like, which is beer!". For one week I handed out free beer. My
intention was to provoke the people. I did this by means of aggressive announcements
like, for example, by placing the text Free beer! 16.30 pm in the academy in
huge dirty red letters right next to the art academy in Breda. Also, I distributed
a press release including the pretentious statement: "The artist goes beyond
society".
Art for the people!
The video that was based on the performance (mentioned) above, involves aspects
of a performance registration, a documentary, and a videoclip. The video shows
several "performers" drinking beer, a red text in capital letters
"Art for the people" and a faked liquor store robbery. In short scenes
the viewer is given several opinions of "the performers".
Laughing trees
The video film "sweet minor terrorism 1.2" was shot in the surroundings
of Zuidwolde, which is a medium-sized village in The Netherlands. It shows trees
and stones that I decorated with a nose, eyes, and a smiling mouth made of paper
and egg white. During one month the local people were confronted with an unusual
amount of happiness. Images of laughing trees and the response of locals, tourists,
and the police together formed a representation of the temporary phenomenon
that the happy faces had caused in the village.
Happy existentialism
The statements that the video starts off with, refer to an existential attitude:
Humans act in order to be in control of their lives, (basically, they seek happiness).
Through art, the artist is looking for happiness as well. Whether this happiness
comes from; looking for the meaning of life, from being a better artist than
others, or from having a own view on postmodern society, the artist is, just
like anyone else, convicted to seeking happiness.
The (semi)- intellectual statements in the video film mentioned above, like
"The constant reflecting process in art confronts the artist with his own
existence, which therefore will be emphasized" refer to the relation between
the artist and his work. The laughing trees and stones are happy, the complete
work of the artist radiates happiness. For two years I have created a mask for
myself and the audience by means of producing nothing but happy work. (See www.happyconomy.nl).
Searching behind this mask may result in some confusion. Behind the choice of
a happy, childlike, innocent mask hides either an unprecedented naiveté,
or an tragic existential consideration.
Reactions, questions etc: info@happyconomy.nl
Wouter Jansen, 2003