Takeover #192 Peim van der Sloot
Peim van der Sloot: Instagram / Website
#192 (31/01 - 04/02, 2022) written by Sophie Heutink / edit by Robin Speijer
Struck by the storytelling capabilities of (typographic) images, Peim van der Sloot knew he wanted to study at the art academy. After he visually documented in a book the long travel through South America he made, he applied and started his bachelor in Graphic Design at the HKU, where he graduated in 2010. Since then, Peim finds himself working in more areas than just graphic design, such as visual art and performance. These areas allow him to fully embody what it means for him to work autonomously.
“What I love about design is the possibility to shape, arrange and create anything you want. If you are aware of it you can design just about everything, your whole life basically. Combine this with an autonomous art practice and the outcomes are infinite.”
Peim’s practice consists of a broad range of techniques. One of his main media is collages. He makes these collages using stickers you often see in marketplaces, shops, and also in art fairs and galleries. In those contexts, they are used to indicate a discount or that something has been sold. However, in his work he claims these stickers as his own and transforms them. This transformative character is an important aspect of his work.
Another part of his practice focuses on the sale and pricing of his work, in which he playfully questions the foundation of the (art) economy through various experiments. For example, his prices may gradually go up or down based on the passing of time or other factors. In another instance he left the prices blank and had the buyers determine what they wanted to pay. Once he even divided the profits of a sale amongst all the people that were present at that moment.
“I like to experiment through my art on what people are willing to pay for. This questions the economy in the arts and its bizarre prizing, but also my own practice. For instance, I made a book with 99 propositions on how to sell an artwork in alternative ways. There are only 99 copies of the book and owners of the book can anytime use it in the future if they want to buy my work.The humoristic aspect and the playfulness of it all is a crucial part of my practice.”
What is very important to Peim is a (creative) community around him he can resonate with. This environment inspires him greatly. He starts a new work by trying out one of the many ideas he writes down throughout the day, or ones that are ignited by the urge to always create something new for each exhibition. Despite a very clear media claim, Peim’s process is continually shapeshifting. Currently he is experimenting with ideas on magical spells, what it means to be a wizard and what kinds of stories he can tell through that. Accompanying this, the urge to cope and understand the current digitizing era (such as NFTs).
During his takeover Peim will give us a try-out based on a publication he is working on about wizardry, and show us various works he’s made over the years through this lens.
“What I love about design is the possibility to shape, arrange and create anything you want. If you are aware of it you can design just about everything, your whole life basically. Combine this with an autonomous art practice and the outcomes are infinite.”
Peim’s practice consists of a broad range of techniques. One of his main media is collages. He makes these collages using stickers you often see in marketplaces, shops, and also in art fairs and galleries. In those contexts, they are used to indicate a discount or that something has been sold. However, in his work he claims these stickers as his own and transforms them. This transformative character is an important aspect of his work.
Another part of his practice focuses on the sale and pricing of his work, in which he playfully questions the foundation of the (art) economy through various experiments. For example, his prices may gradually go up or down based on the passing of time or other factors. In another instance he left the prices blank and had the buyers determine what they wanted to pay. Once he even divided the profits of a sale amongst all the people that were present at that moment.
“I like to experiment through my art on what people are willing to pay for. This questions the economy in the arts and its bizarre prizing, but also my own practice. For instance, I made a book with 99 propositions on how to sell an artwork in alternative ways. There are only 99 copies of the book and owners of the book can anytime use it in the future if they want to buy my work.The humoristic aspect and the playfulness of it all is a crucial part of my practice.”
What is very important to Peim is a (creative) community around him he can resonate with. This environment inspires him greatly. He starts a new work by trying out one of the many ideas he writes down throughout the day, or ones that are ignited by the urge to always create something new for each exhibition. Despite a very clear media claim, Peim’s process is continually shapeshifting. Currently he is experimenting with ideas on magical spells, what it means to be a wizard and what kinds of stories he can tell through that. Accompanying this, the urge to cope and understand the current digitizing era (such as NFTs).
During his takeover Peim will give us a try-out based on a publication he is working on about wizardry, and show us various works he’s made over the years through this lens.