Second Prize Amsterdam International Art Fair (AIAF)

The Amsterdam international Art Fair at the monumental Beurs van Berlage was again a great experience, organised by Joelle Dinnage's Global Art Agency, with hundreds of participating artists and more than a thousand art works.
It also has an award ceremony, where a recognised jury picks the best artists of the whole exhibition.
Last edition my exhibition partner Anna-Lisa Unkuri became third,  and I felt that this year contributions showed even more craft and ideas, so my expectations were managed. The award ceremony was exciting and jury chairman and famous sculpture Ruurd Hallema honoured many artists, mentioning their striking skills, their wonderful artistic themes and personalities. And then the awards…
Third prize for… Jan Aanstoor & Laura Rominu
Second prize for…. Maurice van Tilburg - Glimne
And while I was still digesting things on the podium the winner was announced: Steven Thoelen.

Great to have such recognition by the jury.

Of course extra special in a time where I am still having a busy job as CEO of the Amsterdam stock exchange, where I again became father some 3 months ago of my 5th child, my wife has helped me by supporting my artistic dreams, my oldest son Mart helping me build the stand and composing the wall-of-drawings that was so successful. Feels like new doors are opening, especially knowing that many of the previous winners had an international career afterwards.

GAA CEO Joelle Dinnage, jury chairman Ruurd Hallema, jury member Gena Johns 

and all prize winners showing their Outstanding Award Certification

Winning an award is thrilling and as an artist can be important recognition.

Yet most important is the opportunity to exchange ideas and insights with other artists and art connaisseurs.

It was most inspiring to meet and have long conversations with Yvonne and Ruurd Hallema.

I felt an enormous click when exchanging about the concepts, and I feel admiration for what they have achieved in their gallery and sculptures respectively.

The wall-of-drawings showing freely made street art drawings as part of the Creative Spam concept was highly successful. Many people were attracted by it, and after striking a conversation they were very open to the more complex concepts like Hidden Sacrifice and Decomplexify. 

It was great to have Ruurd & Yvonne Hallema as well as Gena Johns very interested by the drawings, and I was happy to allow them picking a drawing as a souvenir. The drawings were for sharing anyway.
All in all a successful and inspiring event which we finished by posting many Creative Spam art works between 0:00 and 03:00 in the night in beautiful Amsterdam.

Join the streetart posting night in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Art Fair
31 August 2019
Start @BeursVanBerlage
23.45 until all art works are posted
 

Creative Spam is an award winning streetart concept where we place art works at random places in the city for people to discover...and take home.

Making Amsterdam and everyday life of people just a bit more beautiful.

For more details on the art concept please visit

www.creativespam.org

Join us at midnight after the Amsterdam Art Fair and help spreading more than 50 original drawings in the city of Amsterdam.

Join us for a lovely midnight walk along the city canals, and help finding nice and surprising places to post the art.

Imagine all the people waking up that Sunday finding an original piece of art.

Artist that want to join Creative Spam please contact me at info@mauricevantilburg.com

Amsterdam Art Fair 30-31 August 2019 - invitation to my exhibition

Picture of the previous edition, people looking at my Hidden Sacrifice art works

The picture-perfect city of Amsterdam is playing host to talent from all around the world when it stages the fourth Amsterdam International Art Fair from 30-31 August 2019.
Amsterdam Int'l Art Fair is the international art fair in the Dutch city that brings over 150 exhibitors from around the globe for Amsterdam to enjoy! Attracting art galleries, cultural institutions, art critics and collectors. Offering over 3,000 art pieces on display for exhibition and sale, this is a prime opportunity to immerse oneself into a rich collection of global art either as investor, dealer or purchaser. 
A rich and wonderful mix of talented artists presented by international galleries from over 30 countries that will be filling the prime located Beurs van Berlage – Amsterdam with an incredible display of art.
Fri 30th Aug 2019
VIP Private View and Vernissage  18.00pm - 21.00pm 
Sat 31st Aug 2019
Free entry 11.00am - 17.00pm (Global Art Awards Ceremony at 16.00pm)


(Official website, where you can also get tickets yourself)


I am happy to confirm that I have been selected to participate. For all participants please see the website
Let me know if you want to be kept up to date on the exhibition or if you would like me to provide you tickets.
Also let me know if you want me to get you tickets for the VIP opening Friday 30th.


See you there !!!http://www.amsterdamartfair.com/

Preparations of my Barcelona exhibition July 2019

After having developed my new Decomplexify concept I have prepared for the July exhibition of ContemporaryArtStation. This takes place from 1 to 31 July 2019 and is situated in the subway station of Passeig de Gracia where some 2,5 million visitors pass each day.

The actual exhibition - First on the left my art work "With the tribeswomen"

A question I often get is - how did that all work? So sharing some background here.


Step 1 - applying, when and why


As I am frequently exhibiting and have a public artist profile I more frequently get approached for exhibitions. Always important to do some background check as nowadays it seems a good business model to play on the eagerness of arriving artists and earn loads of money.
For example, I get approached frequently for being part of books, at a certain cost. In general I do not feel these books play any role in getting seen as an artist. Some of these books ask you for a few hundred dollars to be featured; this is great money for them as printing of a book nowadays is not so expensive.
Also some people approach you with 'you have won a prize with your art'. Of course playing on the ego, yet in several cases turned out to be an expensive way to get into a book and a mediocre exhibition.
So, first step is to look at background of the event, look at previous years, look at which other artists were participating and how your art would look between these other art works.

Here you find the other exhibitors of the Barcelona exhibition.

Cost - If it seems a good way to exhibit, then look at the business model of the exhibition. Different types of galleries targeting different types of artists have their own model. Interesting read is The $12 million stuffed shark - The curious economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson.

In the end you shouldn't consider the cost in the light of direct sales and revenues, as sales are uncertain, especially for non-famous artists.

Of course the gallery will review entries based on quality, so if not selected good to compare with the people that got selected. What did they do better, does it look different, are there similar art works, etc.

Step 2 - Selecting art works and uploading

Having had limited art works yet from my new concept Decomplexify I just uploaded all. Yet, good to realise that within the concept I have already thrown away quite a few, so to keep the quality of a certain standard.

Although I do not make my art primarily for the viewers, I have considered which ones would be more suitable for that type of exhibition. Basically every art work gets displayed on a 2 by 1 meter surface, will be printed (as hanging delicate art in a subway station would not really work). It has to stand out and appeal to a broader public.

I actually asked my son Mart (18 years) which work he liked most and he chose "With the tribeswomen", which was already in my mind to pick for the exhibition.

The composition is nice and dark, yet has some good contrast and people should find it easy to recognize some forms or patterns in it.


In addition you have to provide information about yourself and about the paintings. This is a bit tricky when having just developed a new concept, as you haven't found the best words for it yet. Actually, exhibiting is a good way to force yourself putting words on your concept and make it 'simple'.
You can find my info on this part of their site.


Step 3 - Interviews
In general for these exhibitions you can opt for multiple types of exposure. I chose for interview as it would allow me to zoom in on my art in general and this theme in particular.
You can find the full interview here. As you can see I reused the profile picture that I created last year for The Global Art Awards.


Step 4 - The exhibition
Having little time I have just done the basics; sharing through social media and approaching specific friends that could be in Barcelona in July. Always good to see what kind of feedback you get...not to change your art, but see what others pick up around style, symbolism etc. And a good reason to explain others your concept and sharpen your story and the storytelling.


Well hope you enjoy watching it and let me know any feedback you have.
Now up for preparing the next exhibition 30-31 August in Amsterdam, more about that soon.

A new concept : Decomplexify

Both in personal life and at work I have a clear preference to understand the topics I work on or that are important to me. Whenever I do not understand issues or what I am yin’s to achieve, I will dive deeper.

In many cases his is good, and for example at work it helps to solve issues, learn how things really work, coach others and ensure targets are met. In personal life it means I am always interested in how hints work, always assuming that whenever things go wrong it is linked to my lack of understanding or capabilities.

That way, over time, I have learned there are no easy solutions to complex issues. And by default I have an allergy for people oversimplifying the challenges...heading straight for disaster.

The challenge

But, where in many cases this is useful, it can harm in other situations. Too much focus on detail might blind your high level judgement. It is easy to get stuck in a war, yet at some point to discover you have been distracted from more important goals. Or, you lose your audience when using too many words to explain where you want to go... influencing people sometimes equines ability to illustrate your point in 3 sentences.

A House half Built

In art...

The same applies for art. It is great to master complex subjects and compositions. But risk is you overcomplicate the painting, continue too long and losing expression.

The concept

In this series of paintings I force myself to be bold. Strong colors and large brushes prevent me from too much detail. Also limiting the colors to primary and very strong secondary colors, where key 

shapes are made with black and white. Still building on he earlier concept  SubconsciousPower,where I eliminate my ratio and force myself to dive into my feelings.

Roof of my mouth

Finally it is important to realize that research shows that a) making 100 paintings in short timeframe , gives way better art works than b) working one month on one art work. This has to do with the fact that too much focus on making things perfect drives us to putting too much elements into one art work. And with that losing power and ending up with a rational compromise complexified painting.

Kangaroo in the
Desert

What were the results?

I already made quite a few. And I threw away quite some that did not meet the standards, often because they were too rational, too much designed.

Find some examples below and feel free to comment which ones you like most...

Finalist of Global Art Awards 2018

, 

Yesterday I was thrilled to receive a mail with the above emblem in it.

Yes, after quite some preparation and hard work on this concept I have been selected among the finalist of this global award program. In a mail to the finalist the Organisation wrote:

"We thank you very much for entering the Global Art Awards - the Jury has now announced that you are shortlisted and in the Finals to make a chance to win. - Congratulations! This is a major achievement as we received an overwhelming amount of nominations.

Of each category one winner will be announced on 21st November 2018 at FIVE PALM JUMEIRAH DUBAI | PENTHOUSE, during the award ceremony presented by famous TV presenter Rania Ali. You can view the full programme here: http://www.theglobalartawards.com/programme."

Next to the excitement I feel gratitude to the many people that voted for me.



In more detail I am one of the 12 finalists in the category Conceptual Art. One of the encouraging reasons for me to take part in this challenging competition was actually that this award has a category for conceptual art. This is an indication that they see this as a material category and that they are open to the different and deeper thinking that supports the actual art object or manifestation. Still, I must say that seeing the massive amount of entries and also quite some nice art works I had lowered expectations somewhat.

But I got selected, yay (small jump of joy). Now the next days I will be concentrating on what to do regarding the final. I had pushed the option of being selected away as something " to worry about if or when it happens". Now I need to work out logistics, "the daytime job agenda" and such, but I realize this is a luxury problem.

While letting it sink in, let me again thank all supporters that helped make me visible by voting and develop my concepts...

Here you find all nominations

CONCEPTUAL ART CATEGORY

Akash Dhawan, Anna Zennaro, Bela Gold, Carlos Aranha, Cornelia Steckhan / Horn, Diego Boiocchi, Hiba Sultan, Irmin Jenni Bernstadt, Krishna VR, Maurice van Tilburg Glimne, Mery Godigna Collet, Riya Sharma

By itself not having any illusions to win the full prize, but in any case great opportunity to meet other artists, especially on the conceptual side.

Preparing for Global Art Awards

I received some weeks ago an invitation to participate to the Global Art Awards. I signed up with the Hidden Sacrifice concept, with as key art work ‘Protective Mantles’. Now voting has started and the work has just started. Sharing here some of the preparations.

First point is to select the right art work. I chose for Protective Mantles  as I have notice it is one of the more appealing art works. In general people more quickly relate to images that more directly express feelings and that they can connect to their own reality. A largely figurative art work therefore is more suitable to attract direct attention and appreciation from the general viewer. In addition people in general do not connect easily with artworks that have a clear ‘dark side’. This is a pity as any proper art needs to make some form of reference to darkness, sadness or pain. If it is not that, and only aims to convey an aesthetic image, it is more design than art... So if I was aiming primarily at a highly educated jury I would ave taken the darkest work from the Hidden Sacrifice series. But, I am betting here that I first need to to catch their interest by aesthetics before they will be willing to deepen their understanding of the conceptual ideas and darkness.

When sending the requested pictures of art works, maximum 3, I need to pick also another art work to ensure they understand this concept is broader than the angel-like image of Protective Mantles. I chose to take the Worn-out Horses art work as it more clearly shows the parchment, the inside writings and reference to ancient religious crafts. After all, the preparation of parchment for this series includes rituals to sanctify the animal skin being ‘sacrificed’. And it is decorated by script in style of writing as was done on the original parchment in 14th and 15th century and texts that stem from religious writings that are linked to the subject of relationship between humans and animals.

The Global Art Award Organisation also requested a profile picture. So I thought to get inspired. In the Thales when traveling back from Paris this week I decided to play with my iPad and the Procreate App. The result you can see above. Quite happy with the resulting design ( not art, for the record) and that with working on it for some 90 minutes or so.

As it is sometimes difficult to capture the detailed expression of the art works in the glass bell I thought to add a zoomed picture, hoping this will help people to explore and fantasize what might be in the glass bells and what could be the themes that it refers to.

Another effort to create a view of the art works that conveys more clearly the structure of the objects is above. Again I created this with Procreate, trying to simplify the composition and also allow people to understand what is displayed into the glass bell.

Now preparation starts:
- providing all images and information to the Global Art Award Organisation
- sharing with my network the link where they can vote, using mainly Facebook and Instagram as my LinkedIn account is mainly a business network, which I do not want to mix.

Considerations when signing up for the competition:
- I filed my art under the Conceptual Art category, as its richness is mainly in the depth of the concept and does not always show from a picture
- there is quite some competition. Display on their site is only an image of the art work. This is great, but actually risks that choices are made based on the image only.
- my artwork is truly different than anything else I have seen, and hope the images show enough of that. Quite some ‘design’ art that pleases the eyes but does not appear to have much depth. So, raises my interest into what the jury will appreciate.
- overall a competition like this is easily pushing you purely into competition reflexes, but in the end to me ( with my other work distraction ) is just really a way to focus on my art for some time. It is generally difficult to find time and energy for art when the agenda is already filled with many other work related challenges. And trying to be somewhat of a father to my children too.

Well getting on with it.

If you feel like supporting my art works please click Here

Short story of the Amsterdam Art Fair experience

After quite some preparation I was finally getting ready for the actual opening day of the Amsterdam international Art Fair (AIAF). Signing up for AIAF was a great way to force myself to get some new art works created, like some people sign up for a marathon to create a sense of urgency for running. It had already brought me 6 new art works in the series of Hidden Sacrifice and a beautiful series of pictures made by Ariane James. The Thursday before the exhibition I also received the brochures of my new art works, as created by Jan Willem Put and his Ituri marketing team. Just fantastic to see the objects in such form and shape into a beautifully designed booklet. The Thursday evening ended with nice drinks on our patio with Jan Willem, Anna-Lisa and my own Charlotte, anticipating a vibrant event and a bit nervous of what it would bring us.

Anna-Lisa Unkuri

1. Anna-Lisa Unkuri joining
A few weeks ago my wife Charlotte, our small kids and I had been in Berlin to visit my oldest daughter Sophie that was having a nice Berlin-month before starting her new studies at University. We also met up with friend and admired Swedish/Finnish artist Anna-Lisa Unkuri, her joyful German husband Max and their small kids. I had felt like inviting Anna-Lisa to join me in the exhibition in Amsterdam but had felt reservation as I find her art to be of such a great level and expression...I did not want to give her the impression that my art would be of any similar level. Also I liked the expression and 'radiation' of her ar works that convey a certain stillness, intimacy and withheld intensity of the art works. Yet, despite my reservation, somehow discussions and drinks went in a way that I actually felt like suggesting her to join me...and she seemed actually enthusiastic. Quickly this idea became reality, and I think both of us were looking forward to this exhibition, with Anna-Lisa joining us in Amsterdam for preparations last Thursday.

2. The setting up of the booth
It was Friday August 25th. The planning was clear; we would arrive early at Beurs van Berlage to check out how the offloading of art works would work. Working in the Amsterdam city center on a daily basis I was somewhat worried that all road-works would lead to a dramatic chaos. Well, chaos was there but while taking a detour and driving backwards through the Beursstraat in the end we could offload pretty easily. And when starting to organise both Anna-Lisa and my art work to be displayed we exchanged ideas of how to set up the booth. I liked Anna-Lisa's non-obvious approach to concentrate my art works together as they really become a series. And keep her art works also concentrated. So, quite quickly tables and art works were assembled, canvas was stretched and the composition of our booth took shape. I have actually never experienced such a smooth process of setting up and exhibition and within 3 hours all had been set up; 2 hours before the opening and at a time when other artists were still struggling. I liked the space we had created, the choices made to simplify (not adding for example the small art works of Anna-Lisa) and the contrast with many of the other booths.

3. The opening
Having had my most recent exhibitions in New York with Agora Gallery, it was actually a nice occasion to invite friends and people from my day-job's industry. People that would normally not travel to NYC to see some of my art works. We had quite a good turn-up of people, and in general the vernissage was quite crowded. Directly we received quite some feedback on our booth:
- it really stands out from the other artists due to its spacious set up and the atypical objects exposed
- the paintings of Anna-Lisa are really 'enchanting' and appeal to people; takes them to another world
- the objects in glass bells are really something exceptional, stand out and also trigger people to look closer and explore the philosophical ideas and reflections.
- the presentation really looks balanced and well thought-through.
All-in-all a great start of the exhibition, and great to see so many colleagues and friends, so excited about this exhibition and the art works displayed. Several people told us it was the best booth by far, but it is always difficult to tell whether people are just being nice or really objectively convinced.

4. The Saturday

Compared to Friday a surprising good turn-up of audience, with people that actually came to see the art having read about it in national newspapers and magazine. Many people were surprised by the Hidden Sacrifice glass bells and fascinated once I told them about the concept.

On Anna-Lisa's side it was clear that people were interested in her art works and touched by the subject, the stillness and the subdued expression. Many stood still in front of her art works for quite some time, then looking at the badge next to it to understand more about it.
Looking back I realise that in the whole art fair not much was sold. For art works like ours this is not a real surprise; prices are quite high so hardly ever people decide to spend so much on a spontaneous purchase. Best is to get them connected to the art work, give them some material or reference so they can have another look at home.
On my side I had made a limited edition, numbered and autographed brochure with all glass objects in there. Also I had brought my small-drawing business cards. When people really were interested I would offer them a brochure and/or a small-drawing. Overall it was a good sign that all 80 small-drawings were picked and some 50 brochures taken. Brilliant were some nice conversations with collectors or people really into philosophy, open to talk about the concept and underlying themes. This brings an opportunity to explore and sharpen ideas and have new thoughts on further developing the concept.
I observed that quite some people noted our stand was standing out in terms of quality, voicing terms as 'different in the type of art works', 'nicely decorated', 'clear and warm expression'. Also especially people more interested in art would indicate that much of the other participants were still in a phase of mastering their craft. On my side I like the inclusive nature of the exhibition, and it allowed me to exhibit this time in The Netherlands as recently my exhibitions had focused on NYC through Agora Gallery.

The final!
Really great was the moment that Anna-Lisa, my partner in all this, received the second prize in the art competition. Knowing there were some hundreds of participants it is great that the jury recognised the strength and radiation of her work.
And for us a good reason to end the day with a tired yet excited smile and a glass of Champaign!

Interview for Amsterdam International Art Fair

For the Amsterdam International Art Fair I was interviewed. You can find the original interview here.

Amsterdam International Art Fair 25 & 26 Aug 2017 Beurs van Berlage | Get your (free) Tickets 

I have always been passionate about drawing and creating my own world. The artworks I create are based on personal reflections, the desire for expressive painting and a drive to continuously reinvent myself by exploring new concepts and techniques. The conceptual reflections are useful to deal with challenges in my ‘other’ role as a senior manager in the financial services industry.

The Hidden Sacrifice concept that is displayed during AIAF is like many of my concepts part of my personal learning; my meaningful journey. It relates to my exploration of the relationship between humans and animals. Starting from a wonderment about the way animals and animal products are a normalised part of everyday consumption, I investigate drivers and patterns influencing my own and human behavior.

Maurice van Tilburg - Glimne | Protective Mantles

I use parchment as key material for the art works. Parchment has been the 'paper' used for some centuries now by monks and book copiers. Before actually starting the creation, I prepare the parchment in accordance with ancient rituals as described in religious literature. Once all preparation is done I paint, cut and burn the parchment until it has the right shape and form. The parchment objects are presented in ‘glass bell miniature worlds’, combined with other objects that were part of my journey.

What drives you?

My key objective is to become a more beautiful person. I use experiences of frustration, pressure and stress as signals of where I could learn important things about myself. It triggers my journey to learn more by reflecting and researching and it materialises through the creation of art works.

What is your definition of art?
Art is both beauty and pity. It requires beauty as it is an aesthetic expression, where the artist uses craft to transform his or her feelings in appealing creations. But if art were only an appealing aesthetic effort to woo the audience it would be no more than good design. In order for it to be art it needs to be connected to the emotions, the ‘pain’ and the meaningful journey of the artist.

Nowadays distance between artist and audience is large, and development of art goes faster than the related knowledge of the art-lover. The question is if and how to bridge that increasing distance, especially when art aims to convey a certain message. This is why I wish to entice the viewer through my 'magic' objects, making them engage in an exploration to understand the meaning of the object. The stories of the objects are kept a secret to allow sufficient space for the viewer's imagination.

Where do you see your art going in ten years?
When looking forward some ten years I realise my challenge is to find a balance between my family, my demanding work life and finding time and focus to create art works. My art mentor Frederik Beerbaum told me that I should currently be in the most productive part of my life in terms of making art. So, as family should be most important I guess I need to either reduce the work part or focus for my art works on quality of work rather than quantity.

On the other end I make my art primarily for myself and therefore the key is that I keep working on concepts and addressing parts of me that could be more beautiful; and there are plenty…

Maurice van Tilburg - Glimne | Worn-out Horses

Best Commissioned artwork ever done was…?
For me the most relevant commissioned work were the first two works in the Hidden Sacrifice series. Art collectors Jan and Janny Maas had asked some 20 renowned Dutch modern artist to work with parchment, each resulting in unique pieces of art in their collection. They asked me to create an art work in the same series, which I happily accepted.

It brought me back to some of my family roots related to leather, my grandfather coming to The Netherlands to set up a leather factory as part of the family business. It made me study the elements of parchment crafts, the origin, and brought me to the Hidden Sacrifice theme.

After publishing about this concept I have received quite some interest, good critic feedbacks and it brought me exhibition opportunities; for example at Agora Gallery (Chelsea NYC). As parchment implies a very labor intense process I did not pursue at the time, until the AIAF opportunity came by. I picked up the concept and worked to create a new series that is now first exhibited in this art fair.

Maurice will be exhibiting his art at the Amsterdam International Art Fair 25-26 August 2017 at the Beurs van Berlage, as one of the selected artists.

www.mauricevantilburg.com
Profile picture: ©Rob de Jong. Art work pictures: ©Ariane James

Focus Retriever

Exhibition 25,26 August > Invitation

The Amsterdam International Art Fair

"The picture-perfect city of Amsterdam is playing host to talent from all around the world when it stages the third Amsterdam International Art Fair from 25th to 26th August 2017. Amsterdam Int'l Art Fair is the international art fair in the Dutch city that brings over 150 exhibitors from around the globe for Amsterdam to enjoy! Attracting art galleries, cultural institutions, art critics and collectors. Offering over 3,000 art pieces on display for exhibition and sale, this is a prime opportunity to immerse oneself into a rich collection of global art either as investor, dealer or purchaser. A rich and wonderful mix of talented artists presented by international galleries from over 30 countries that will be filling the prime located Beurs van Berlage – Amsterdam with an incredible display of art."

I will be exhibiting my art works in the central part of the exhibition and 

it would be great to welcome you there. 

The art work 'Protective mantles' from the Hidden Sacrifice series

The art works displayed are from the Hidden Sacrifice series. 

More to read about Hidden Sacrifice

Program:

Fri 25th Aug 2017  |   VIP Private View and Vernissage € 10 EUR: 18.00pm - 21.00pm
Sat 26th Aug 2017   |   Free entry 11.00am - 17.00pm prebook (Awards Ceremony at 16.00pm)

Directions:

Address: Beurs van Berlage - Damrak 243, 1012 ZJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
The event will be during the opening weekend of the new cultural season in Amsterdam: the Uitmarkt. So please anticipate busy traffic in the city center.

Public transport:
Easiest is to take public transport to Amsterdam Central Station and walk 100 m down Damrak where you will find the impressive Beurs van Berlage.

Car:
Set navigator to Beursplein and park your car in De Bijenkorf QPark garage. Easiest way to access, given all one-way roads:
From the Valkenburgerstraat turn right (coming from the north) or Weesperstraat turn left (coming from the south) towards Waterlooplein. Cross the bridge and turn right directly after, onto the 'Amstel'. At the end turn right onto Damrak. The Bijenkorf will be after the Dam square on your right.

Hidden Sacrifice concept

The Hidden Sacrifice concept is like many of Maurice van Tilburg-Glimne's concepts part of his personal learning; his meaningful journey. The conceptual reflections are useful to deal with challenges in his role as a senior manager in the financial services industry. This concept is about his exploration of the relationship between humans and animals. Starting from a wonderment about the way animals and animal products are a normalised part of everyday consumption, he investigates drivers and patterns influencing human behaviour. Themes linked to Heidegger about structuring our lives and at the same time removing our reflective capabilities, the hunter-gatherer origins as well as the 'cognitive dissonance' all influencing the way we deal with animal suffering. The objects are materialised thoughts of the artist in discussion with himself, using literature and research as means of reflection.
Invitation to the 25/26 August 2017 exhibition at the Amsterdam International Art Fair‎

The object 'Protective Mantles' from the Hidden Sacrifice series

For this concept the artist retrieved original stories in the Bible and the Quran about Abraham being commanded by God to sacrifice his son (Isaac in the Bible, Ismael in the Quran). Eventually he is stopped and 'allowed' to sacrifice an animal instead. In combination with other religious stories about sacrifices and animals this highlights the spiritual sensitivity linked to sacrifice or killing of animal life.

Protective mantles - zoom on figure with silver coin aura and parchment wings

Van Tilburg-Glimne uses parchment as key material for his art works. Parchment has been the 'paper' used for some centuries by monks and book copiers. Before actually starting the creation he prepares the parchment in accordance with ancient rituals as described in religious literature, whereby the animal is sprinkled and 'burnt'. He also adds writings on the inner side of the skin using texts and decorations relevant for building of personal insights related to the theme. Once all preparation is done Van Tilburg-Glimne paints, cuts and burns the parchment until it has the right shape and form.

Objects like keys and a wallet as part of the art work 'Followers'

Van Tilburg-Glimne obtains parchment from an American traditional producer that solely creates parchment. Parchment is a sensitive material and not suitable for just any type of decoration. It mainly consists of collagen, implying it needs to 'breathe' and as a result he uses traditional inks instead of oils or other substances that would deform or isolate the parchment. An important element for the artist is also the link with crafting of leather that brings him back to his grandfather that expanded his Swiss family business by building a new leather factory in the south of The Netherlands.
In addition to parchment the artist includes other objects that are relevant for his personal reflection and journey, like antique 18th century VOC coins. Every object tells its own story.

Form

Nowadays distance between artist and audience is large, and development of art goes faster than the related knowledge of the art-lover. The question is if and how to bridge that increasing distance, especially when art aims to convey a certain message. Van Tilburg-Glimne wishes to entice the viewer through his 'magic' objects, making them engage in an exploration to understand the meaning of the object. The stories of the objects are kept a secret to allow sufficient space for the viewer's imagination.
Hidden Sacrifice objects are displayed in and with old glass bells, originally used for display and protection of religious artifacts. The glass bells also refer to the planet's atmosphere and protect the parchment.

Presenting 3D art objects through a GIF animation

Recently had my new 3D art works photographed by Ariane James as I posted earlier.
She created multiple pictures that I transformed into a GIF image.
Below you find an example.

Masking Strength - parchment & mixed media

It really brings out the 3D quality of the object. Which is important as a 2D picture just does not have the same effect. It is actually hard to really understand what is being displayed on a 2D picture if you have never seen these objects.


The making of...
The photographer created a studio environment surrounded by completely black decoration on all sides. As everything reflects on the glass everything around the object needs to be black. And this can not be done perfectly (if all is black then there is no light to see the object), yet it is by definition never perfect as even the camera itself reflects in the glass bell. So, after making the pictures for each object they have been aligned and undesired reflections have been removed through Photoshop.
After this I used a basic App to transform the images into one GIF-movie. Not sure the App I used is perfect I will be looking for other Apps that make a more smooth experience and more refinement in the time intervals between the images. Any advice/recommendation of others is welcome :)


The result...
As an artist I am very happy with all the efforts and specifically the result.
Although this is 'sort of' the best way to present it does not capture all elements that can be seen when looking at the object. You miss elements like the original 18th century VOC coins that decorate the clay basis of the object, the special black seal with the stamp of this art work series and the 'antique-ness' of the glass bell originally used for displaying religious objects.


Next step... is to prepare other aspects of the exhibition:
- create brochure
- integrate in website
- arrange display materials for these objects during the exhibition
- organize transport and installation

New 'Sacrifice' art works for August exhibition

I have decided to the Global Art Amsterdam exhibition 25 and 26 August 2017 in Amsterdam, at the Beurs van Berlage. I have participated before to such an exhibition and it is exciting. Loads of people visiting and many art works displayed.
I decided to explore new versions of my previous parchment project 'Sacrifice'. I had made some time ago specific commissions for art collectors Jan and Jannie Maas. They had obtained some 20 parchment art work commissions from other artists, and had asked me to make one too. I decided to make a theme around 'our connection with animals'. How do we related to animals, how have our habits shifted and our behaviour influenced by rituals and ego.
The new series, currently some 6 objects, were finally ready. It is way in time for the exhibition, but still quite some work to be done. One thing is to have them photographed. I had made some pictures initially with my camera, but creating pictures of glass bells is something extra complex. But Ariane James did it!

Messenger stick with parchment document rapped around it. The inside shows reflective texts where the outside is decorated with a more modern expressive decoration. The foot of the object contains a silver coin.

This glass bell contains a madonna figure with a silver coin halo, rising from a silver birth cup and decorated with parchment wings.

Now, next challenge will be to make nice GIFs from  the pictures she has taken from different angles.
But I am already happy with these pics as they are really okay for the exhibition brochure... Yet, more to come when preparing for the exhibition!

Three sequential images made as part of a larger series to enable creation of a 3D movie or GIF ar a later stage. This has required quite some photoshop work to ensure they are exactly aligned and any unintended distortions are removed.

Interview about work and art at Business News Radio (BNR)

Maurice van Tilburg, CEO van Euronext: 'Ik maak die kunst voor mezelf'

• Julia Conemans

vrijdag 15 april 2016, 17:26Update: zaterdag 16 april 2016, 11:47

Maurice van Tilburg was zaterdag te gast bij Paul Laseur in FD Persoonlijk On Air bij BNR Nieuwsradio. Hij is niet alleen de CEO van EuronextAmsterdam, maar ook kunstenaar.

Maurice van Tilburg is ingenieur, manager en ook kunstenaar. Kunstacademie zat er niet in, want zijn vader vond dat hij een vak moest leren. En dat bleek achteraf gezien maar goed ook, want wie gewoon geld verdient, kan pas echt autonome kunst maken. Van Tilburg laat zich inspireren door Cobra-kunstenaars. Nogal een vreemde combinatie met zijn baan als CEO? Volgens hem zijn er juist veel parallellen te trekken. De uitzending kan hier terug geluisterd worden.

Listen to the Full interview

Aanverwant artkel:

De topman van de Amsterdamse beurs deelt zijn droomweekend in drie delen in: romantisch weg met zijn vrouw, ontspannen met het hele gezin en even tot rust komen in zijn eentje. 

• “Hoe dichterbij de vakantie komt, hoe meer je er aan toe bent. Als je hem gepland hebt, ga je er naar toe leven, op de een of andere manier.”

Een onorthodoxe combinatie: naast manager is Maurice van Tilburg ook autonoom kunstenaar. Dus als je hem vraagt wat hij in zijn droomweekend zou doen en hem vertelt dat er geen grenzen zijn aan tijd, afstand en geld, is zijn eerste reactie: thuis. "Ja, dan trek ik me terug in mijnchaos room. Dat is een aparte ruimte in het huis waar mijn schilderezels klaar staan. De kwasten staan nat en er is voldoende verf. Daar kan ik even lekker de dingen laten, en hoef ik gelukkig niet na te denken over opruimen."

Picknicken
Natuurlijk, er schuilt romantiek in het alledaagse, maar zou hij echt niet een paar kilometers verder weg willen? "Nou, Barcelona vind ik een fantastische stad. Daar zou Ik dan heen gaan met mijn vrouw. Vanaf de berg Tibidabo heb je prachtig uitzicht over de hele stad. Als ik denk aan een mooie tijd, denk ik aan daar picknicken." Bovendien heeft Barcelona voor de beursman een sterke symbolische waarde. "In Barcelona beloofden we elkaar voor het eerst: wij gaan er voor. In een relatie moet je herinneringen bijhouden, maar ook blijven investeren en nieuwe maken."

Tot rust komen
Tot slot zou Van Tilburg graag nog naar Zweden gaan, maar dan met het hele gezin. "Zweden heeft prachtige eilanden waar maar weinig mensen van weten. Daar is het rustig en ruim. Je hebt er heerlijk helder water, hoewel dat vrij fris is, daarboven in het noorden.  Fantastisch om even tot rust te komen met je kinderen."

Link between work and art

Recently I was interviewed by Dutch WebTV channel 7 Ditches.
About a meaningful journey in art and work.
Sorry, only in Dutch

Frederik Beerbaum > interview for exhibition

Interview I held with my mentor Frederik Beerbaum over a period of 3 years.

Great to be able to learn from such a recognised artist (his works are for example in the colletion of the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum).

Sorry it is in Dutch; still the language that is easiest toexplore such discussions.

We compiled this video as part of his recent exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam.

The idea is not to provide snappy quotes and smart one-liners. The idea is to explore the relevant thinking and expression around what art really is, how you become an artist, how images appear and more. Rather a reflective sharing than a tailored audience based movie :)

Interview FD - I prefer Picasso

‘Bij het AMC is voor iedereen duidelijk wat je doet’

De gloednieuwe hyperthermiemachine begint zachtjes te zoemen zodra een hulpvaardige technicus hem aanzet. Laserlicht tekent rode strepen op de muur. Meteen is Maurice van Tilburg met ....

‘Ik hou meer van Picasso, die steeds verder ging, dan van Warhol’

Veolledige artikel: Interview Lieu de Memoire - Financieel Dagblad

Invitation Opening 15 Oct 2015 > Agora Gallery, Chelsea NYC

For those interested it might be nice to join the opening; see invitation below.

Would be great to have you there

Maurice

Maurice
van
Tilburg

Divergent Realities

Agora Gallery

New York,NY

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Maurice van Tilburg

Divergent Realities October 9 - October 29, 2015 Opening Reception: Thursday, October 15, 2015, 6-8 pm Road to Relativity   Oil on Canvas   39.5" x 31.5" About the Artist Maurice van Tilburg’s paintings represent the journey towards deeper expression by combining the concepts of beauty and pity. Van Tilburg’s canvases brim with an alternating sense of hope and loss, with the contrast between them illustrated through a bright palette contoured by a dark textural movement. In that borderland between beauty and pity, the viewer glimpses the artist as an intense creator/achiever and also as a reflective man, and the struggles they both face in order to take what van Tilburg calls “full ownership of life.” Van Tilburg’s discovery of deeper beauty through awareness of its fragility is portrayed by the radiant layers of oil paint and the omnipresent drip-like lines that both compose and obscure the art around them. The Gothic sensibility and impressionist references reinforce the overall sense of dislocation, expectant anxiety and alluring intimacy. In this regard, van Tilburg both holds the viewer at a distance and beckons them as close as they’re willing to come. Maurice van Tilburg Up-close View Divergent Realities

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