Two artists who turn their source material into completely different forms are the focus of the exhibition Shapeshifters at galerie with tsjalling:. We spoke to one of them, Dutch artist Sander Wiersma, whose work consists mainly of collages, a method he has only recently started using. ‘Finding the right piece of paper is a kind of game between chance and controlled selection.’
Wiersma's work, entitled War Gods, usually begins with a watercolour as a base. On the drawn base he works with collage material from men's magazines and fashion glossies. He uses these to compose images of mythological figures. Inspired by Roman and Greek statues, the men exude great strength and energy. In doing so, Wiersma attempts to question what we consider masculine: "You get a very one-sided picture presented to you by the media of what being a man or what being a woman should be. It's important for my work that I play with that. After all, what is masculinity and what is femininity? I try to explore this in my work pushing the limits each time. I do like to create a kind of confusion with my images. I'm trying to lead you astray or keep you in doubt. People are allowed to draw their own stories from it: I’m not looking to make things that chastise. As if to say: “This must mean that”. That's what I'd like to guard against the most.’
‘It may not be me personally, but it's more the subject I chose. Surely that comes from a fascination with the dark side of humanity. I always find that exciting to explore. In this study, I also stumbled upon trickster figures. These are mythical figures that move between the realm of the gods and humans and can change shape. They devised ruses to manipulate and fool both the gods and the people. All for their personal gain. I think that's a nice metaphor for these times anyway: in the time of Trump and Erdogan and the manipulation they bring with them. The “shapeshifter” in this is perhaps a kind of another name for “trickster”, because it keeps changing form. That's also where the title came from. It’s literal too, because I do more with collage now. It fell into place when I proposed it, and fortunately Irja [Syvertsen, the Belgian artist also featured in this exhibition] also agreed.’
‘The image of a man and how it is portrayed in the media keeps coming back in my work.’
‘I've taken a lot of detours, but the image of a man and what surrounds it and how it's portrayed, especially in the media, keeps coming back."
‘My largest work is 2.5 metres tall and 1.5 metres wide. That's a collage in which I also incorporated wool threads, so it's more than just pictures. The smallest work is the golden cups [the Golden Boys, a series of portraits with gold as the main colour]. These are approximately A5 size. As a result, that has a different dynamic. The little ones are much more impulsive and I can make those in one go, so to speak. So that's much faster and easier.’
‘Before this I used magazines too, but not as literally as I do now. I often used the photographs as examples for my watercolours, so the move to literally using collage materials was kind of liberating for me as well. It gave me the idea that I could go in any direction and that also gave me new energy. I do think it's important that some things just emerge. That I don’t have control of everything. I was a little too concerned with aesthetics with my watercolours at one point. Experimenting with collage techniques allowed me to break through this for myself.
It also made it exciting for me, so it doesn't become a gimmick. Or preventing it from making what emerges unsurprising. That is precisely what makes it interesting and engaging for me as well. I realised as I went along that finding my way in it will be tricky for a while. Finding just the right pieces that make the work really good for me.’
‘Sometimes all at once you see something lying on the table, for example leftover materials, and then you think: “Oh, I’ve got to have that!” Then it is very easy to find and you make a focused decision. But then again, I don't want it to be too controlled. I also sometimes just tear a piece out of a magazine and put it onto something to see if it can work. Actually, it's kind of a game between chance and controlled choice.’
The exhibition Shapeshifters with the works of Irja Syvertsen and Sander Wiersma will be on display until 7 October at galerie with tsjalling.
Text: Desta Matla
Portrait of Sander Wiersma: Anna Hiep
Photo of the work Laughed at by the Gods: Sander Wiersma