Subliminal TransArt concept

Origin of the Subliminal TransArt concept

It started all when preparing my exhibition in Barcelona.
I needed to ship the art work full of glass to Barcelona, and while preparing the wooden box I decided to make some simple street art on the outside.

Original wooden box sent to Barcelona

When in Barcelona I picked up the large box at the house of Charlotte's brother Marcus and brought it to our hotel at the to of the mountain overlooking Barcelona.
It was interesting to see how much people somehow noticed the odd wooden box with the large colourful decoration in the hallway. And myself I was positively surprised how the street art decoration had survived the journey, as it was just glued at the outside of the wooden box. It actually looked like it was transported, or like it had been touched by time and weather, giving it a marvellous street-look. In the end, after the exhibition I left the wood and decoration in Barcelona, but the image of the work somehow remained in the back of my head.

Then last year a friend of mine Nebahat asked if I was interested in exhibiting in Istanbul.
Of course, that seems very nice, and I started wondering which art to exhibit there.
Somehow I was a bit worried to start o whole logistics operation again, especially after the New York exhibition last year. I was puzzled and started to think maybe of new concepts, and then it struck me:
- sending art that is decorated can contain messages that subconsciously influence the people that see it while being transported
- the messages can be adjusted, asking attention for things-ideas-causes that are "fragile" in the widest sense. For example: "Freedom of speech is fragile", especially when the art work would be sent to countries where that truly is the case
- what if the art work gets lost, for example because the culture dislikes it so much that it is damaged/taken away...well, that just means I will need to make nice pictures ahead of sending.

Creation of the art works

Street art on the outside of the black box
"Fragile - What is a bad party"

I started looking for materials and decided to make 2 prototypes.
I took 2 canvases of 40x40 cm that would form the two sides. And I bought long bars of wood that would be used as sides connecting the 2 square main sides, composing a box of 40x40x6 cm.
The outside art works were made and I painted the inside canvases. I would include one abstract painting on the inside and one portrait as a sort of signature, both with oil paint.

Oil painted inside of the box - side 1
Self portrait signature

Sending

The exhibition in Istanbul got postponed and so I needed to find other destinations.
Today I sent the first box to Canada, to friends for whom I had illustrated a kids tourist guide of Amsterdam now some 3 years ago (Pedro & Slawko). In 2 working days it should arrive, and I am curious to see if and how it arrives.
The other one I want to prepare for sending to my brother who currently lives in Nigeria; a country a bit closer to the countries targeted in the first setup of the concept. I had wanted to send before, but when talking to my brother Alex, he had asked if I can add a standard so that he can actually put it somewhere where he can see it in his office. So that one will take a bit more time.

Inside abstract decoration - side 2

Happy with the concept so far and maybe soon I will see if there some exotic gallery for which I can make several of the true art works. The prototypes work and the concept actually looks promising to me.
And it includes the elements that I feel need to be part of my art:
- harvesting and expanding my skills
- an interesting/fascinating idea
- touching part of myself
- making it 'relevant' in my own journey as well as for other people.

La Valise Noire (6) graveyard of projected guilt

In this article you find several drawings I made for the La Valise Noire concept.
A few questions I asked myself.

Follow my feeling
and adrenaline

1. The objective was to visualise my dark behaviour and related guilty feelings. How did that influence my thoughts on that dark behaviour and thinking...
I have now made several drawings. I would think of some behaviour and specifically think of someone I might have hurt with that behaviour. It is interesting to phrase like that, as I am not sure I actually hurt someone in all of these cases. In some cases it would for example not (yet) be visible to others, and still drawing away my energy. In other cases I now wonder if others would see what I did as 'a big thing'. Basically I realised that I feel guilty based on my own values, and the way I project those on my own behaviour and that of others. And not speaking my mind on these topics or not expressing that guilt makes me digest it multiple times, and with every digestion it grows and touches me more.

Mother fighting Beatrice

2. Does it actually work to send the images into the black suitcase, reducing the guilty feelings and the loss of energy ?
In short, yes it helps dealing with dark behaviour and thoughts (at least for as long as I am now working on this project). Then I wondered why it actually seems to work. Explanations could be:
(i) I tell myself it should work, so it works. Basically the placebo effect. Well, that would by itself not be a problem, "no better person to manipulate than yourself"
(ii) letting go of negative images releases the pressure and removes the negative feeling. This is a bit like elements from the Neuro Linguistic Programming, where you visualise your negative thoughts and send them into the distance.
(iii) giving the dark behaviour and the 'victims' attention makes me feel like I have respected and accept the related lesson(s). I do accept the thought that I can not do everything right, and I can not always prevent others from being hurt. Important is the respect and the fact that I learn from my behaviour. This would allow me to 'accept' my failures and think I have suffered and learnt enough to respect the other person.

Storm surrounding
silent creation

(iv) just a coincidence or correlation; when starting the project I was feeling unstable and it would be logical that after some time I would feel a bit more relaxed than before, and maybe in some time the pressure will go up again.
(v) the guilty feeling is not the real cause (bit related to the previous point) and there is another element driving my reflections; earthly powers impacting my well-being, work related pressures impacting my other observations, finally getting blessed by God, escaping in my drawings (creating a different focus, distracting my thoughts), adding structure to my art and expression, etc. Some being more exceptional than others, but intentionally would not want to rule any of it out.


Basically makes me feel I should:
- focus on existing theory and research (psychology, philosophy, etc.)
- maybe try this experiment with other people (to improve statistical relevance).

Behaviour shadowing
parental love

3 In which way does this relate to leadership

Yes, I have avoided linking this project to leadership, and anyone is welcome to comment. I do feel that it makes some elements more clear to me:

a. if we can not guide ourselves, how could we guide others. Being aware of our own dark side is important to more objectively see what is happening and which actions are required. If we are not aware we risk basing our approach on perceptions > based on feelings that can be partly accurate and partly resulting from our dark side and how they filter the information that comes in.

b. Coach others; I have observed in coaching/helping other people it helps to understand the functioning of dark sides; clearly addressing the right behaviour, helping someone explore which behaviour is less functional and which elements need to be addressed, being able to provide metaphors for what is happening (will share some of those in one of the following articles)c. Be a role model for others in not-hiding-from-the-dark. Accept and understand behaviour, showing others it is human to have certain not so good behaviour, to look beyond the guilt, to look forward and make the best of it and not let it stand in the way.

Feeling versus 
risk of losing

d. Not letting other peoples negative behaviour reduce your energy level; as a leader you generally need a good energy level (people do not tend to massively follow people who are complaining and show negative behaviour). Remaining positive and constructive and reasonably balanced is key in getting teams have confidence and trust in their manager.

Well, guess those were just 3 questions and my quick replies. Anyone with other questions or wishing to challenge some of these ideas is welcome.

At the end of this I was looking at the right name for this article, and I saw the title of the below image; that is actually what La Valise Noire is: 

a graveyard of project guilt


>> link to the original La Valise Noire concept

graveyard of projected guilt

La Valise Noire

Explore your dark side, as it enriches the colors on the light side. Just make sure you do come back out of the dark.

I observe that there are moments when the darker patterns inside me take over; when for example something that started as inspiring threatens to become sort of destructive. Personally I experience this with alcohol; by itself drinking some wine helps to open the mind, even sometimes really supports getting into a highly productive flow, getting more in touch with my feelings, and reduce the influence of my ratio that wants to remain too much in control. But in the not so frequent occasions that I drink more and where there is a more sensitive context I can actually start showing behavior that would normally be corrected by my mind. And then it can ultimately damage the experience, a relationship or my self-image.

I think we all have our natural patterns, desires and dysfunctional behaviors. We can try to stay away from it, we can try to push them away or ignore them. In the end I think that we do not really change the darker and dysfunctional aspects of ourselves, we can just learn to deal with them in a better way. Whenever we have done things as a consequence of giving in to these darker patterns and desires, and we have been confronted with the unintended result, it gives us a feeling of guilt; causes a (sometimes more permanent) loss of energy. This loss of energy by itself is not really dysfunctional; when looking at it from a distance the ‘takeaway’ from what happened and the negative feeling should be that we learn something, that we act better next time; by compensating, solving or preventing. However, just losing energy because something went wrong in the past does not seem to bring anything to anyone.

I read some articles/books on Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) where people learn to deal with such situations by visualizing the negative experience in their mind, and then sending it away until it has disappeared in the far distance. I have tried this for some situations and in some cases it actually seemed to work. Now, at the same time some of these things tend to come back after sending them away in my mind, but that could also be linked to my lack of skills and real training on this topic.

Now, the concept of La Valise Noire came into my mind when I saw some authentic metal suitcases somewhere in a small and charming shop in Paris. The basic concept will be: visualizing my dark experiences and the guilt related and send it into La Valise Noire, focusing on what I can improve/learn.
A few interesting thoughts to be taken into account while making the drawings that will fill La Valise Noire: (i) I will take a specific situation in my mind when starting to draw; I will try to recall the feeling and relive the experience. Starting with just a simple line I will then trust that the right image will appear; (ii) I draw with a small pen, making it a long work to finish the drawing, enabling me to really digest the feeling and the specific situation where I have feelings of guilt and/or regret. (iii) on the back side of the drawing I will write to the person concerned, explain in short phrases which elements were driving me when things happened, and trying to face the brutal truth. And add what I think I should change, as I should not forget the learning part.
I also see some parallels with leadership, but will explore that another time.

Anyway, I thought to share the start of this new concept. Any ideas or challenging opinions are welcome as they will help develop or change the concept. And any suggestions of things I did wrong are welcome too; there must be plenty and they will inspire me for making the right drawings ;)

Read here next article about La Valise Noire

Images frozen on paper - process of creating a modern art work

Recently when selling a painting I was asked to write about the process of making that series of paintings. So, below you find the process of making the 'Subconscious power' series.

I go out with my papers, paint, brushes and bottles
to a river or sometimes to the sea.
When arriving I put down my materials,
I breathe the air,
I absorb the lively place around me,
its colors, the light in the sky.

I let the papers float in the river, to absorb the water and absorb nature.

Every river or sea has its own way of working with the painted colors, sometimes giving beautiful shades and sometimes a more rusty texture.
It is the soul of the water showing itself
through the way it works, leaving its pigment traces on the paper.
Then before starting I connect with the trees, the sand, the birds...
There are many ways to draw a portrait, a landscape, a tree.
One way to draw a tree is by copying the shapes, the lines, the colors.

It will become a nice copy.

Myself I let the tree show itself in me
and through me,
concentrating on breathing,
on connecting to the earth,
I let the tree flow into my body and show itself.
Then I dive into this feeling
I get the paper from the river and start painting.
The colors spread over the paper, mixing and fading
I keep sculpting the shapes until the moment that I awake from this dream.

In a way I try to create the right conditions, to get myself in a sort of flow.
It is like in dreams, where rational filters disappear

and images that have been suppressed show themselves.

These images are touching the heart of me,

and later when I am back in my atelier they help me

to easily recreate the original feeling with all its depth and emotions.

There I continue building the details
as in a flow or meditational repetition;

it creates and creates without 'thinking'

and I trust the intensity of this feeling

until I wake up for the last time
and a very rich painting appears,

clearly showing harmony despite the numerous detailed patterns it holds.

It is like awaking from a dream and seeing the images frozen on a piece of paper.

If you would like to read more about the background of my concepts just visit my art page section about concepts or just send me a mail.