Jan Wattjes
I won’t know what the art of painting is if I have never seen a painting.
Jan Wattjes, Artist statement, 2013
With the pseudonym, Jan Wattjes (1981, the Netherlands), the artist kneads the concept of identity. He assumes various roles, uses people from his past, and places his idols shoulder to shoulder with himself or in group portraits filled with characters, both real and from fiction. The work suggests that identity is not necessarily autonomous, but that everyone is influenced by their past. Wattjes installs his work in unconventional ways—on a wooden shelf, on the floor or on top of each other. He presents his paintings as they were created: as spontaneous, fleeting thoughts.
