Interview with Jan Bollaert

Q)Something about you…what you want…

A)SERENITY , ACCEPTANCE AND MAKING STUFF , NOT ONLY IN ART.
OH AND MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY SO I CAN KEEP ON MAKING WHAT I WANT
TO MAKE, BUT THAT SEEMS TO WORK OUT VERY FINE TO MY EVER LASTING SURPRISE :-)

Q) What are your main goals when you create?

A)FUSE CLASSIC CRAFTMANSSHIP WITH THE CONTEMPORARY FREEDOM IN ART TO
MAKE AN ORIGINAL INTRIGUING BUT ALSO BEAUTIFULL WORK OF ART. ART FOR THE EYES ALSO,
NOT JUST FOR THE BRAIN !!

Q) Do you rule by any tendency in your creative work, or you only follow what comes in your mind?

A)MY ONLY RULE IS JUST TO FOLLOW WHAT COMES INTO MY MIND WITHOUT QUESTIONING IT
OR ANALYSING IT (UNLESS MAYBE LATER WHEN THE WORK IS FINISHED).
WELL MAYBE I DO HAVE A RULE: IF YOU HAVE TO PAINT IT, YOU BETTER PAINT IT AS GOOD AS YOU CAN !
I AM PRETTY SURE MI KIND OF ART WOULD NOT WORK IF IT WAS PAINTED BADLY.

Q)How has the internet and your website helped you spread your artwork to a wider audience?

A)VERY VERY MUCH, MY WORK IS SEEN BY ON AVERAGE 20.000 PEOPLE PER YEAR OUT OF MORE THAN
80 COUNTRIES. THIS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THE INTERNET.
IT’S ALSO MUCH EASIER TO SHOW NEW WORK TO GALLERIES AND ARTDEALERS.

Q)How do you define your style and how would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

A)THE CLOSESED I CAN GET TO A STYLE DEFINITION IS NEO-POPART OR MAYBE CONTEMPORARY
POPART. I DON’T WANT TO COPY THE STYLE OF THE FIRST GENERATION OF POP ART ARTISTS
BUT I DO USE THERE PHILOSOPHY OF GETTING MY IMAGES OUT OF POPULAR CULTURE AND
THE MEDIA. ALTHOUGH WHAT I DO WITH THEM IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY
USED TO DO WITH IT. FOR THE REST I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS VERY FIGURATIVE BUT NOT REALISTIC AT ALL.

Q)What materials do you use to realize your creations?

A)FIRST I ONLY USED ACRYLIC PAINT, NOW I MAINLY USE OILPAINT ALTHOUGH FROM TIME TO
TIME I STILL USE SOME ACRYLICS. THE REST IS JUST CANVAS AND A WOOD FOR THE STRECH FRAME. OH AND I ALSO
LIKE TO USE PATINATED OLD LEADFOIL TO MAKE MY FRAMES FROM TIME TO TIME.

Q) What is your favorite a) taste b) sound c) sight d) scent e) tactile sensation?

A)CHOCOLATE, A CHILD LAUGHING, A WOMAN HAVING AN ORGASM, LYLACS, WATER (cold)

Q) What are you doing now…your current projects…

A)I’M WORKING ON 3 PROJECTS. OR BETTER I PLAN TO WORK ON THREE PROJECTS IN 2007.
FIRST I WANT TO CONTINUE MY RECENT SERIES OF PORTRAITS COMBINED WITH PARTS OF
TEXTS ( PREFERABLY AS NEON SIGNS).
SECOND I WANT TO CONTINUE EXPLORING OTHER PAINTING TECHNIQUES AND COMBINATIONS
(SOMETHING I ALWAYS TRY TO DO INBETWEEN THE “REGULAR WORK”)
THIRD I WANT TO START A NEW PROJECT BASED ON OLD BAKELITE RADIOS. I HAVE BOUGHT
OVER 50 OF THEM LAST YEAR. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ACCUMULATIONS WITH THEM AND ALSO
PAINT THEM. WELL NOT PAINT THE RADIOS THEMSELVES BUT MAKE PAINTINGS OF THEM.

OH AND THERE IS MAYBE ONE MORE THING, I’M INVITED TO HAVE A SHOW IN A NEW GALLERY
VERY NEAR TO THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT OF ANTWERP. SO I WOULD USE THIS OCCASION TO MAYBE
MAKE A SERIES OF MORE EROTIC PAINTINGS (BUT AT THIS POINT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY WILL
LOOK LIKE, I’M THINKING OF MAYBE FOR A CHANGE MAKING THEM VERY SMALL AND INTIMATE
BUT THEN I WANT TO PUT THEM IN A VERY BOLD FRAME , A BIT LIKE WHAT MARK RYDEN IS DOING.

Q) Do you listen to music while you’re painting and what do you listen and what do you like to listen?

A)ALWAYS, MOSTLY COOL AND SMOOTH JAZZ.

Q) Do you draw influences from a wide range of artists, musicians, books…?

A)MOST LIKELY BUT NOT INTENTIONALLY OR KNOWINGLY

Q)Name 3 things you couldn’t create without?

A)BEING ALONE. FEELING FREE. BUT MOSTLY THE CURIOSITY OF HOW MY NEXT PAINTING WILL LOOK LIKE.

Q) Where have you show your art…?

A)FROM A FURNITURE SHOWROOM NEARBY UP TO A GALLERY IN SEATTLE AND EVERYTHING INBETWEEN.
WELL THESE DAYS IT’S MOSTLY GALLERIES IN BELGIUM AND HOLLAND. AND I HAVE A LOT OF WORK
HANGING IN COMPANIES, SOME OF IT AS RENTAL, BUT ALSO AS PART OF THE COMPANY’S PERMANENT ARTCOLLECTION.

Q) What haven’t you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

A)MAKE A HUGE PAINTING AND ALSO SCULPTURE BUT ALSO ON A GRAND SCALE COMBINING FOR
EXAMPLE FURNITURE WITH NEON LIGHTING AND ANIMAL SHAPES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Q) How important is self-promotion for an artist nowadays?

A)IT’S AS IMPORTANT AS IT HAS EVER BEEN UNFORTUNATELY. THANK GOD I DIDN’T HAVE TO DO MUCH
OF IT SO FAR IT SEEMS THAT MY WORK IS SELLING ITSELF PRETTY GOOD WITHOUT ME PUSHING IT.
BUT FOR ME THE CONSEQUENCE IS THAT I MUST BE THE MOST SUCCESFULL UNKNOWN ARTIST IN BELGIUM.
THIS MIGHT CHANGE IN 2007 BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE A PAINTING THAT WILL BE USED FOR ALL PUBLICITY FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT SPORT EVENT IN BELGIUM. AND I AM THE FIRST UNKNOW ARTIST
THEY HAVE ASKED THIS.

Q) Would you say that your work consciously reflects characters and situations found within your daily life?

A)OH NO NOT AT ALL, NEVER !

Q) Favourite book?

A)ZEN, OR THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE

Q) Designers/Artists you admire?

A)RAUSCHENBERG, KOONS BUT MOST OF ALL AT THIS MOMENT NEO RAUCH
I THINK THAT’S THE ONLY ARTIST OF MY GENERATION THAT I ENVY.

Q) Your contacts….e-mail…links…

A)SORRY DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS LAST QUESTION. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MY CONTACTS IN THE ARTWORLD
AND THEIR E-MAILS, AND LINKS TO THEM ???? IF SO I CAN BEST REFER YOU TO THE LINKS PAGE ON MY WEBSITE (http://www.janbollaert.com)

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON A PERSONAL NOTE THAT THESE WHERE VERY SMART AND TO THE POINT QUESTIONS.
NO PSYCHO BULLSHIT AND STUFF. I ENJOYED ANSWERING THEM AND IT WAS GOOD TO THINK A FEW THINGS OVER.
A NICE WAY TO REFLECT FOR MYSELF WHAT I AM DOING , WHY I AM DOING IT AND WHERE I WANT TO GO;

IF YOU HAVE ADITIONAL QUESTIONS OR WANT ME TO EXPAND ON CERTAIN THINGS PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO ASK ME.