This week we connected Verena Blok to Thomas Kuijpers and Thomas to Verena. They answered each others questions about their responsibilities and favorite snacks.
Should there be a difference between your work as an Artist, and who you are in real life?
Personally, I think most art is an extension of the artist and one can not exist without the other. Whatever keeps u busy flows into the things you make.
Do you think you carry a certain responsibility as an Artist?
Well, responsibility might be a big word, but I do intend to make things that have a meaning now, and perhaps later as well.
Alternative documents of the times we live in, that give a different reading of the sentiment and vibes of this time and place.
I feel responsible for documenting the things I think are worth documenting.
How has the pandemic influenced you and your work (process)?
I changed my process quite radically to be honest – I quit my routine of consuming a vast amount of newsmedia on a daily basis.
I was lucky to spend the lockdown in the countryside, and it felt really absurd to be so busy with all these things that weren’t really touching my daily reality. I decided to invert my process, where first I would have the daily news be my guide, I now only consult my archives when something that happens in my daily life requires clarification. Feels much healthier!
Thomas Kuijpers ‘Vote’ (2020)
When you’re staring out the window, what worries you most?
AH! What is there not to worry about these days?
Toxic people being in political power positions, the world my future child will grow up in, will we ever experience snowfall again?
But usually when I stare out the window, I simply enjoy the moment. There are things that are beyond our own control, so I try to focus on my job to create art which weirdly enough I find maybe even more meaningful in these times.
What is your favorite snack and why?
Salted Pistachios at the end of the day. I had a nut allergy for most of my life, so it has become my new addiction.
Have you ever made someone cry with your work? What happened?
My work is very much about human emotion, so it is really the biggest compliment I can get to touch a human being on that level.
A curator I worked with said she shed a tear when she saw my new film a month before the opening, and my heart jumped: since art critics and curators are trained to be critical, it felt very special from someone so centered in the art world. Yet hearing about total strangers being tearful about my work is also magical.
Verena Blok still from ‘Robota’ (2018) Picture by Peter Tijlhuis.
These interviews are part of an ongoing series of short interviews between Unfair artists, originally published through our mailings. Check the overview to read the other interviews or subscribe to our mailing list through the button below:
These interviews are part of an ongoing series of short interviews between Unfair artists, originally published through our mailings. Check the overview to read the other interviews or subscribe to our mailing list through the button below: