Takeover: #158 Tijs van Bakel
Tijs van Bakel: Instagram / Website
#158 (12/04 - 16/04, 2021) written by Robin Speijer and Joris Broekhoven / Interview by Derk Müller
Tijs van Bakel will take us on a shapeshifting journey in which he explores various ways of thinking and being. In 2011 he graduated from the WDKA Fine Art department with a series of charcoal drawings and etchings. He spends many hours on very meticulously detailed drawings
and prints, but also uses other media like photography.
“I try to do a lot of different things, but I really like to draw. Drawing is the ‘go to’ for me to express myself.”
The starting point for these works has a conceptual origin. Tijs is interested in our behavior: Why do we live the way we do? He explores this question by living according to a certain lifestyle for a while. He himself becomes a psychological and philosophical experiment, which allows him to discover the effects of these ways of living.
“I’m very curious about what our brains can do. I’m also very interested in questions about free will and consciousness.”
For example, during a residency he switched weekly between living in a Taoist way, and a western way for a period of two months. The former allowed him to go with the flow, the latter asked for more planning ahead and the need to produce a lot of work. Later he did multiple projects to live a more capitalistic life. Here he would outsource the idea of what to make to another artist, buying it and making it accordingly.
His latest experiment is to see what happens if he takes his art career very seriously. He is at work in his studio as much as he can be and applies for open calls and competitions that he wouldn’t normally apply for.
During this takeover Tijs will show us a chronological overview of his work and give us some insights in his working process. Let’s follow along with his journey and see how it affects us!
“I try to do a lot of different things, but I really like to draw. Drawing is the ‘go to’ for me to express myself.”
The starting point for these works has a conceptual origin. Tijs is interested in our behavior: Why do we live the way we do? He explores this question by living according to a certain lifestyle for a while. He himself becomes a psychological and philosophical experiment, which allows him to discover the effects of these ways of living.
“I’m very curious about what our brains can do. I’m also very interested in questions about free will and consciousness.”
For example, during a residency he switched weekly between living in a Taoist way, and a western way for a period of two months. The former allowed him to go with the flow, the latter asked for more planning ahead and the need to produce a lot of work. Later he did multiple projects to live a more capitalistic life. Here he would outsource the idea of what to make to another artist, buying it and making it accordingly.
His latest experiment is to see what happens if he takes his art career very seriously. He is at work in his studio as much as he can be and applies for open calls and competitions that he wouldn’t normally apply for.
During this takeover Tijs will show us a chronological overview of his work and give us some insights in his working process. Let’s follow along with his journey and see how it affects us!