Takeover: #112 - Jesse van den Berg
︎ by Andela Vidic
Jesse van den Berg: Instagram / Website
#112 (3/5 - 9/5 2020) written by Anisa Demirci and Cheyenne Pattiwaël
Jesse van den Berg, now graduating in MA Fine Arts and Design, from St. Joost in Den Bosch, is a visual artist who works with still and moving images as an exploration on queerness all around him.
Making art is a process to make his own life beautiful, through the people he meets by portraying them and by the things he learns from them. Jesse also views art as a good medium for representation and initiating discussions, for art can be open and free. He often uses the human body to convey his message and investigate the meaning of gender, sexuality and intimacy. Beautiful conversations arise from the openness and vulnerability that are being portrayed in his artworks.
His artworks, that often show naked bodies, expand and question the concept of intimacy. By normalizing naked bodies and not immediately viewing them as sexual, Jesse tries to create a sweet and tender image of intimacy between men, between the viewer and the maker, between him and the models.
Through making art, Jesse feels that he has the ability and the responsibility to represent the diversity in queerness, through different bodies, persons and skin colors.
“People who fight against the norm, people who stand up for minorities or who are seen as less in this society based on gender, sexuality and racism, inspire me.”
“This project is part of my way to self-acceptance and self-love. Hopefully, it unites people. I hope they’re proud of their existence.”
Making art is a process to make his own life beautiful, through the people he meets by portraying them and by the things he learns from them. Jesse also views art as a good medium for representation and initiating discussions, for art can be open and free. He often uses the human body to convey his message and investigate the meaning of gender, sexuality and intimacy. Beautiful conversations arise from the openness and vulnerability that are being portrayed in his artworks.
His artworks, that often show naked bodies, expand and question the concept of intimacy. By normalizing naked bodies and not immediately viewing them as sexual, Jesse tries to create a sweet and tender image of intimacy between men, between the viewer and the maker, between him and the models.
Through making art, Jesse feels that he has the ability and the responsibility to represent the diversity in queerness, through different bodies, persons and skin colors.
“People who fight against the norm, people who stand up for minorities or who are seen as less in this society based on gender, sexuality and racism, inspire me.”
“This project is part of my way to self-acceptance and self-love. Hopefully, it unites people. I hope they’re proud of their existence.”