Illusion paradise
In his attempt to make sense of all the ‘visual – emotional – philosophical’ input he gets while roaming the world, Bram Reijnders is, in his own words, mostly inhaling impressions of our times and exhaling these impressions as an aesthetic manifestation in his art. Committed to surprise, Bram’s narrative is never obvious. He reveals processes of cultural assimilation both in his photographic works and his fiction series. Through photography, Bram Reijnders translates reality into his own intense expression of the spirit of our times. In the cartoon-centered series, the artist brings us to a fantastic world where fiction collides with reality when characters from our childhood react on our fact free times. Bram Reijnders’ is in a spontaneous and often vertiginous search for beauty in society.
Visually joyful, Reijnders’ works unveil a certain tension between photography, painting and sculpture. His artworks are built in many layers, creating a bold, complex structure that serves as support for the artists questions. Layers of posters, paint, collage… but also layers of reality. Posters from many different countries pile up creating urban backgrounds. After having interacted with the environment through light, rain, air, they have their own history and are the perfect base for Bram’s work. Sometimes revealing details from underneath, sometimes adding a new dimension. Adding and peeling helps Bram shape a new reality.
Bram Reijnders is not just observing, he’s active in the world. As a force of nature, he wants to be part of the world, understand it in its full complexity and, preferably change it. Here is an artist who is constantly exploring our liquid post-modern society with enthusiasm. Edges that shine and crack are the limits of where world-famous characters, childhood reminiscences, emerge creating a compelling aesthetic result. They mix fantasy with reality and have that amazing capacity to create fun. Bram invites us to undress our adulthood and logics and enjoy the beauty that emerges from his images. Bram’s most intimate artistic influences are fed by the intensity of abstract expressionism and the pop dimension of everyday products, news and objects. In his photographic works, the artist retains a glimpse in time when ordinary, lonely places and objects gain an emotional quality. That is a magical moment when they transcend the boundaries of their cultural origins. A car wash in New York City, the outskirts of Napoli or a “favela” in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) gain a poetic quality just because something hiding was revealed. And that was beautiful.
Everything is urgent. Life burns like a flame. In our post truth world, questions multiply exponentially… nothing is sure anymore. Can we still believe anything? Bram Reijnders’ artworks bring images that intrigue, provoke and try to guide you through a jungle of joy. Collector of the ordinary, nomad of art, burst of energy Bram Reijnders wants to invite you to an intense experience of hope and beauty.
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