TIM BREUKERS INTERVIEWS TIM BREUKERS AMSTERDAM, 2016
How would you describe your practice?
There are two sides to almost all of my work. On one hand, there is the sculptural, technical, classical and monumental approach; on the other, the informal, banal and comical approach. My work is created where those two extremes meet. My collage ‘Because bigger really is better’ is a typical example.
Large clay sculptures take a central position in your work – why do you use clay?
I love the sharpness of the material, the way it cracks, tears and flakes off. As if it wants to break. I want the material to speak. I play with its fragility to create visual tension. I constructed the sculpture Rock out of clay tubes – after firing them, I smashed up most of it again.
How are your sculptures created?
I play around with the creation process. Particularly so in the porcelain sculpture of a doorpost, where things that were left or dropped ‘accidentally’ as I worked became essential reference points of the work. Preparation turns into a seemingly self-performing process. I copied wooden support lattices and glue clamps from the process in porcelain; the work shows its own creation.
Could you explain the döner kebab?
The leftover material from the clay press looked like kebab. It was a wonderful surprise; I came to make a sculpture and left with döner kebab. An exploration of the materiality of everyday life. The kebabs are ready to welcome visitors. This was a first step towards the installations of Rijksakademie OPEN 2014 and VamPiranesi, in which I meant to bring the work, the visitors and the exhibition space closer together.
Why did you have the visitors of your presentation walk on “fragile” tape?
I was looking for something content wise to protect against the fragility of ceramics. Instead of excluding the fragility, I wanted to confront vistors with it the moment they entered the presentation. In that presentation, I played with power and fragility. For instance, there was also a clay pallet jack, and a female bodybuilder who lifted me up with a series of different holds and grips.
What sort of sculpture is the Lizard Lounge?
It is a sculpture you can enter. The Lizard Lounge is an homage to the hangout place at the Dutch post master residency Rijksakademie. My residencies at the European Ceramic Work Centre and at artist’s foundry Gieterij Beeldenstorm taught me a great deal about materials and techniques. The most valuable thing Rijksakademie gave me was getting to know the staff and residents from around the world, and the various ways in which they worked and lived. Running into each other in the Cantina and the Lizard Lounge every day for two years – that nourished my work in an informal way.
What is the origin of the title ‘VamPiranesi’?
The title is a contraction of the word ‘vampire’ and Piranesi. The wall of polystyrene foam is a copy of the wall of the exhibition space behind it. I wanted to turn that wall into a ruin, to invoke Piranesi’s etchings of the ruins of Rome. What’s enviable about those etchings to me is that the crumbling architecture, whose original form you can still make out, is equal in importance to the overgrown fragments and debris that are no longer recognisable. The exhibition space is in Tilburg; the vampire on top of the wall as a ‘rückenfigur’ was also intended as a reference to the haunted mansion and the well-known funfair in Tilburg.
Why is there a T-rex skeleton in the presentation?
Making my own dinosaur is a boyhood dream of mine. As a sculptor, I wanted to make a grand gesture. I thought it would be exciting to relate the Rijksakademie gate to the Jurassic Park entrance. And I came that the ruins of Rome juxtaposed nicely with Jurassic Park, two reserve areas for giants and that weird thing with time.
How would you describe your practice?
There are two sides to almost all of my work. On one hand, there is the sculptural, technical, classical and monumental approach; on the other, the informal, banal and comical approach. My work is created where those two extremes meet. My collage ‘Because bigger really is better’ is a typical example.
Large clay sculptures take a central position in your work – why do you use clay?
I love the sharpness of the material, the way it cracks, tears and flakes off. As if it wants to break. I want the material to speak. I play with its fragility to create visual tension. I constructed the sculpture Rock out of clay tubes – after firing them, I smashed up most of it again.
How are your sculptures created?
I play around with the creation process. Particularly so in the porcelain sculpture of a doorpost, where things that were left or dropped ‘accidentally’ as I worked became essential reference points of the work. Preparation turns into a seemingly self-performing process. I copied wooden support lattices and glue clamps from the process in porcelain; the work shows its own creation.
Could you explain the döner kebab?
The leftover material from the clay press looked like kebab. It was a wonderful surprise; I came to make a sculpture and left with döner kebab. An exploration of the materiality of everyday life. The kebabs are ready to welcome visitors. This was a first step towards the installations of Rijksakademie OPEN 2014 and VamPiranesi, in which I meant to bring the work, the visitors and the exhibition space closer together.
Why did you have the visitors of your presentation walk on “fragile” tape?
I was looking for something content wise to protect against the fragility of ceramics. Instead of excluding the fragility, I wanted to confront vistors with it the moment they entered the presentation. In that presentation, I played with power and fragility. For instance, there was also a clay pallet jack, and a female bodybuilder who lifted me up with a series of different holds and grips.
What sort of sculpture is the Lizard Lounge?
It is a sculpture you can enter. The Lizard Lounge is an homage to the hangout place at the Dutch post master residency Rijksakademie. My residencies at the European Ceramic Work Centre and at artist’s foundry Gieterij Beeldenstorm taught me a great deal about materials and techniques. The most valuable thing Rijksakademie gave me was getting to know the staff and residents from around the world, and the various ways in which they worked and lived. Running into each other in the Cantina and the Lizard Lounge every day for two years – that nourished my work in an informal way.
What is the origin of the title ‘VamPiranesi’?
The title is a contraction of the word ‘vampire’ and Piranesi. The wall of polystyrene foam is a copy of the wall of the exhibition space behind it. I wanted to turn that wall into a ruin, to invoke Piranesi’s etchings of the ruins of Rome. What’s enviable about those etchings to me is that the crumbling architecture, whose original form you can still make out, is equal in importance to the overgrown fragments and debris that are no longer recognisable. The exhibition space is in Tilburg; the vampire on top of the wall as a ‘rückenfigur’ was also intended as a reference to the haunted mansion and the well-known funfair in Tilburg.
Why is there a T-rex skeleton in the presentation?
Making my own dinosaur is a boyhood dream of mine. As a sculptor, I wanted to make a grand gesture. I thought it would be exciting to relate the Rijksakademie gate to the Jurassic Park entrance. And I came that the ruins of Rome juxtaposed nicely with Jurassic Park, two reserve areas for giants and that weird thing with time.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Die „Big Bag“ steht emblematisch für Breukers Skulpturen, die zu seiner Umgebung in direktem Zusammenhang stehen. Die Porzellan-Skulptur bildet eine Transporttasche für Bauschutt in Lebensgröße ab, die aus dem Atelier des Künstlers stammt. Die handgefertigte Holzpalette, die Teil der Arbeit ist und auf der die Skulptur steht, dient gleichzeitig als Sockel und als Transportpalette. Streben, welche die Skulpturen während des Produktionsprozesses stützen, bleiben als Teil der Arbeit enthalten. Durch Integration und Darstellung des kreativen Prozesses erforscht Breukers neue skulpturale Themen und die technischen Möglichkeiten seines Mediums.
Die mit Klebeband und Schaumstoffflocken spontan entstandene Skulptur zeigt exakt wie Breukers arbeitet. Alle Werke entwickeln und verändern sich bei der Anfertigung: Breukers weis nie wie seine Skulpturen am Ende genau aussehen werden.....bis kurz vor deren Vollendung. Sei es ein Werk aus Klebeband oder eine lebensgroße Skulptur aus Ton bzw. Porzellan.
Big Bag is one example of Breukers’s sculptures that are directly related to his surroundings. The porcelain sculpture consists of a transport bag, which came from the artist’s studio. The work is actual size, and the pedestal of the sculpture is a tailor made wooden pallet. At the same time it is transport tool and a
completion of the sculpture. The pointer sticks that support the sculptures during the production process are also included in the work. By both integrating and representing the creative process the artist explores new sculptural subjects and the technical possibilities of his medium.
The sculpture made of tape and foam pieces placed on a used transport crate shows exactly Breuker’s principle of operation. All works develop and change during the construction process. Breukers never knows how his sculpture will look like at the end……until they are finished. No matter if he works with tape, clay or porcelain.
Big Bag is one example of Breukers’s sculptures that are directly related to his surroundings. The porcelain sculpture consists of a transport bag, which came from the artist’s studio. The work is actual size, and the pedestal of the sculpture is a tailor made wooden pallet. At the same time it is transport tool and a
completion of the sculpture. The pointer sticks that support the sculptures during the production process are also included in the work. By both integrating and representing the creative process the artist explores new sculptural subjects and the technical possibilities of his medium.
The sculpture made of tape and foam pieces placed on a used transport crate shows exactly Breuker’s principle of operation. All works develop and change during the construction process. Breukers never knows how his sculpture will look like at the end……until they are finished. No matter if he works with tape, clay or porcelain.
Die „Big Bag“ steht emblematisch für Breukers Skulpturen, die zu seiner Umgebung in direktem Zusammenhang stehen. Die Porzellan-Skulptur bildet eine Transporttasche für Bauschutt in Lebensgröße ab, die aus dem Atelier des Künstlers stammt. Die handgefertigte Holzpalette, die Teil der Arbeit ist und auf der die Skulptur steht, dient gleichzeitig als Sockel und als Transportpalette. Streben, welche die Skulpturen während des Produktionsprozesses stützen, bleiben als Teil der Arbeit enthalten. Durch Integration und Darstellung des kreativen Prozesses erforscht Breukers neue skulpturale Themen und die technischen Möglichkeiten seines Mediums.
Die mit Klebeband und Schaumstoffflocken spontan entstandene Skulptur zeigt exakt wie Breukers arbeitet. Alle Werke entwickeln und verändern sich bei der Anfertigung: Breukers weis nie wie seine Skulpturen am Ende genau aussehen werden.....bis kurz vor deren Vollendung. Sei es ein Werk aus Klebeband oder eine lebensgroße Skulptur aus Ton bzw. Porzellan.
tim breukers / biography
1985
*breda, nl
2003-2007
academie beeldende vorming, tilburg, teacher fine art and design
lives and works in amsterdam
residencies | trainings
2016
mmca, seoul, kr, 6 months artist in residence
2013-2014
rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, amsterdam
2012
beeldenstorm, eindhoven, 3 months, aluminum and the lost wax technique
2011
european ceramic work centre, den bosch, 3 months, monumental porcelain
2010
coup de ville, artist village, sint niklaas, be, week, conference and portfolio
collections
stedelijk museum 's-hertogenbosch ministry of foreign affairs kunstfonds kolibri
rijksakademie beeldende kunsten, amsterdam various private collections
sponsorship | awards
2016
mondriaan fonds, financial support mmca
2014
stichting stokroos, financial support publication marvellous world of minerals
2013-2014
mondriaan fonds, financial support rijksakademie
2013
de by - van der heyden fonds, financial support rijksakademie
2012
mondriaan fonds, financial support beeldensorm
2011
fonds bkvb, financial support ekwc
2007
jaques de leeuw jong top talent prijs, fontys hogeschool voor de kunsten, tilburg
comissions
2016
poort van toorop, wonan, sketch design for semi-public space, nl
2014
koninklijke nederlandse munt, sketch design three coins dutch world heritage, nl
einzelausstellungen | solo shows
2019
timpies prijzen paleis, zoete broodjes, amsterdam, nl
2017
futchka!, studio 21, kolkata, in, breaking news, solo boys club, dariyapur, in
de vooruitdenker galerie van de weghe, antwerpen, be
free iphones in soupy noodles, 800/40, seoul, kr
2015
galerie mirko mayer, cologne, de
2012
terra, delft, nl
gruppenausstellungen | group shows
2020
antwerp artfair (1st edition), be
2019
kippykata, art bar kippy, amsterdam, with bonno van doorn, nl
waaromnieloods, nieuw en meer, amsterdam, duo met joost krijnen, nl
free iphones in soupy noodles, ekwc, heusden, nl
point in time, dom plein utrecht, nl
de apotheek, amsterdam, emoh, with marcel van den berg, nl
10 years gallery anniversary, sjoerd tim en thijs rijnsburger re(d) gallery, with narcisse tordoir, antwerp, be
50 jaar ekwc, stedelijk museum 's-hertogenbosch, amsterdam, nl
art brussels, (re)d. gallery, be
2018
the secret life of materials, beeldenstorm, eindhoven, nl
bus projects, duo with sanne vaassen, melbourne, au
space without time, w139, amsterdam, nl
2017
beyond thunderdome, nest, the hague, initiator unfair, nl
dove audio & video festival showcase, ssqq, seoul, kr
banner project, dutch design week, gieterij beeldenstorm, eindhoven, nl
15/love, de school, amsterdam, nl
verkenningvoor een collectie stedelijk museum s'hertogenbosch, nl
hans & fritz contemporary, barcelona, es
tribute to julian b. coco, francis boeske projects, amsterdam, nl
2016
nomans land, mmca changdong, seoul, kr
sculpture biënnale, changwon, kr
thuis salon, galerie z, nijmegen, nl
willem 2 fabriek, 's-hertogenbosch, nl
w139, amsterdam, nl
de eerste steen, duo with andreas arndt, podiumzaal, tilburg, nl
collection 1996 - 2016, galerie mirko mayer, cologne, de
2015
paltzart, soest, de
yia art fair, galerie van de weghe, brussel, be
art cologne, mirko mayer gallery, cologne, de
suns and stars, performance event, pakhuis de zwijger, amsterdam, nl
de blauwe kamer, quartair, den haag, nl
cofa contemporary, mirko mayer gallery, cologne, de
mob, whatspace, tilburg, nl
rapture and pain, fundament, tilburg, nl
ruïnepark, duo with jop vissers, tilburg, nl
sculptural possible, mirko mayer gallery, cologne, de
suns and stars, jagtlust, 's-graveland, nl
the mirror and lamp show, kunstvereniging diepenheim, nl
art rotterdam, galerie van de weghe, be nieuwe vide shop, haarlem, nl
2014
rijksakademie open, amsterdam, nl
exo, den haag, nl
suns and stars, zonnestraal, hilversum, nl
the daylight show, grote kerkstraat, leiden, nl
i am not doing anything until i feel the need, nederlandse bank, amsterdam, nl
i am not doing anything until i feel the need, museumnacht, rijksakademie, amsterdam, nl
generation y /why/ik rijksakademie, amsterdam, nl
zonder dubbele bodem, galerie helder, den haag, nl
gasten van de familie bolink, european ceramic context, bornholm, dk
galerie van de weghe, antwerpen, be
2013
rijksakademie open, amsterdam, nl
warp, sint-niklaas, be loods 6, amsterdam, nl
inflatable fun, rijksakademie, amsterdam, nl
museum le secret, university pécs, hu, museumnacht, rijksakademie amsterdam, nl
statenkwartier festival, den haag, nl
transfo klei zwevegem, be