BIOGRAPHY
Tim Ceustermans-Deschepper is a young, Belgian multidisciplinary artist, who is active in the fields of literature, painting and conceptual artwork and often acts as an organiser and co-ordinator of artistic projects.
As far as visual art is concerned, my work can be divided into two parts. Behind the first door there are paintings hidden, the second door opens up to more conceptual work.
What the two have in common is the eclectic approach. It is ,however, very difficult to find the right term, the right definition as yet for my art. There's a resemblance to the work of Jenny Holzer, and at the same time you can find some aspects similar to work by Richard Deacon. The work remains that of an individual artist trying to find his place in the specific world of contemporary art.
The different layers, technical as well as intrinsic, are very important in my work.
The themes found in my work are the search for the purpose of mankind and the attempt to discover the deeper aspects of mankind.
I am very conscious of the fact that deeper motions are not often visible. I attempt to enlighten and analyse these motives. That is why I have an urge for objectivity and a deep respect for diversity, which is an essential objective. Although this is very difficult to achieve, considering the current circumstances in the world today. My aim is to stimulate this.
One very important conclusion I've come to is that curiosity leads to diversity, when your conception is open-minded.
Due to this, there's an important element of social interaction in my work.
Paintings: content
In the beginning my paintings were quite abstract, sometimes surrealistic, but now they have become a combination of several art-trends
More and more, figures in a specific setting dominate my work. Figures influenced by their surroundings or dominating the environment. This environment or the elements within are a continuation of the thoughts, the character or social behaviour of these figures. I always talk about mankind in my work. Mankind in his/her different presentations: as a creator, a devisor, responsible or irresponsible person, admitting and denying, in his/her strictest or most variable form. In this respect I am curious about mankind reinventing himself/herself again and again despite recurring difficulties or habits.
My paintings are creations with links to an emotional and/or rational world. Most of my characters find themselves in the position to choose or contemplate before taking action.
Choices and the difficulty or ease in to dealing with them. Known and unknown motives appear before taking a step in a certain direction. Are they prepared, do they prepare themselves and what drives them. The elements in the painting can help to create a possible answer.
Coincidence plays a role in the process of creation. Allowing different levels of consciousness, different levels of consideration is necessary to put in and receive depth in these works.
Painting: technical aspects
Another aspect of the paintings is the technical content. We could speak about a sort of eclectic approach. It is a matter of incorporating and translating to one's own language, different artistic trends and theories. Not that this is the main aspect, it is part of my artistic language. Technically you should unravel brush-strokes and compositional aspects, and then incorporate them and transpose them into your own contemporary approach. Forms and colour placed layer over layer. This gives the effect of transparency alternating with full colour. This approach could be discovered in the details but also in the diversity of the work. Each work should be seen apart from the others.
Sometimes my paintings are also the result of a technical exercise, intermediary work, through which I can contemplate the material, proportion, form and intensity of colour, Call it a search for equilibrium in colour and composition. In the end it gives me the opportunity to create a technique to reach my goal.
Conceptual art: content
The aim of the conceptual work is sharper. By combining language and object I create images that can be lifted to a psychological-ethic-aesthetic level.
The object or group of objects gives an embedding to one-liners. One-liners that evoke, one-liners that could be objective, suggestive or indicative.
My manner is not to provoke. That is too easy. I want to work on the level of silent, but active consciousness. I reveal obstructions which could have their impact, I record, show my astonishment and bring up possibilities. Because of that, one's perception is put into question.
The content of the one-liners are questions or detections about daily motives, unspoken and underlying motives. The reason to reveal this is to enter the deeper layers of mankind and to undermine the superficial approach.
Conceptual art: technical aspects
In my process of creation I often start with an object or material that generates the message or pronouncement systematically and/or in an evident way. Transparent material could lead to pronouncements about transparency and insight. Hard material could arouse rigid defined criticism, natural materials could refer to the (un)natural way of our behaviour. There are moments that the objects even temper the directness of the words.
Another remarkable fact is the serial character of some of my work. We talk about tight or organic forms that are connected with each other. This connection symbolises many aspects of suggestions. Connection-alliance, a whole that exists of many parts, solidarity, the force of repetition,Â….
Other works attract attention because of their layered construction. Layers which present levels, stages in an evolution, but also the depth of subconscious motives.
The materials picked out, are manufactured in many ways. I often use an engraving technique, a polishing technique and the pouring of transparent resin.
Aluminium is a grateful material, you can carve in it in different ways, while the reflection on it gives it a different appearance, it can be shiny or matte. Also acrylic plates with their transparent look are pleasant to work with.
General content
My aim is always to create an image that ends up in the memory and becomes a reference. An image or a sentence that evokes situations where people are looking for an explanation and clarification. An image that causes insight.
This images came into being by re-creating situations from the past or because of depictions or goals.
Art for me is a distillation of elements from reality, which in a different setting give a new view on a certain case or clarifies it.
A process of crystallisation. The complexity of sense, reason, aesthetic standards, possibilities in visual affects, contemporary norms and values and expression possibilities are taken along during the process. You can see it as taking into account the artistic, social, conceptual and existential context.
This is my base for artistic integrity.
To avoid
To only focus on one technique, one theory, one style narrows the possibilities to give full expression.
In that manner one results in a sort of mannerism or fabric procedure whereby innovations and coincidence, which mankind needs to evolve, become excluded.
Very recognisable in style, but not enthralling. Above all, art should fascinate by its atmospheric presence, its appeal and repugnance.
Work that repeats itself, is like a snake that bites its own tail and moves in a circle. Stagnation.
But maybe this is one of the most difficult parts, the constant concentration to renew, to keep freshness.
Historical end recent influences
My sources of inspiration also include the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and a few of his students, for example: John Lautner; the work of Richard Deacon, Tonny Gragg, Anish Kapoor, especially because they have worked with different materials and emphasised the finishing touch.
Rubens, the Flemish Primitives, the painters of the Renaissance are also very dear to my heart, as well as the work of Belgian, contemporary artists as Wim Delvoye, Borremans, Thierry De Cordier, Patrick Stevens, Annemie Van Kerckhoven, PanamarenkoÂ…
