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Levi van Veluw
Landscape I
2008
lambda print on dibond, anti-reflex perspex
120 x 100 cm |
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Levi van Veluw
Carpet
2008
lambda print on dibond, anti-reflex perspex
120 x 100 cm |
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Levi van Veluw
Gravel
2007
lambda print on dibond, anti-reflex perspex
120 x 100 cm |
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Levi van Veluw
Landscape III
2008
lambda print on dibond, anti-reflex perspex
120 x 100 cm |
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Levi van Veluw
Light I
2009
lambda print on dibond, anti-reflex perspex
120 x 100 cm |
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Levi van Veluw
Dots
2007
lambda print on dibond, anti-reflex perspex
120 x 100 cm |
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 evi van Veluw is a multidisciplinary artist best known for his photographic self-portraits that document his creative process. He was born in Hoevelaken, Netherlands, in 1985. Van Veluw studied at the ARTEZ institute of the arts, Arnhem, Netherlands from 2003-2007. His works have been included in many world-renowned exhibitions including; the Marischal Museum in Aberdeen, Scottland; Stedelijk Museum Schiedam Otto L. Schaap, Holland zonder Haast, Scheringa Museum; Whitstable Biennale; C-Space gallery Beijing, China; and the Scope Art Fair, Basel. Van Veluw was the winner of IPA International Photo Awards' Fine Arts Photographer of the year in 2007 and he was awarded 1st place in the Art Interview - 10th International Online Artists’ Competition. Van Veluw is represented by Ronmandos gallery. He lives and works in the Netherlands.
Art Interview: Levi, what type of background do you come from?
Levi van Veluw: I was born in 1985, in the small Dutch town of Hoevelaken. My father has a small business repairing washing machines and my mother was a housewife, but now works in healthcare. Where I grew up there wasn’t a lot to do, so I drew a lot. When I had to choose a career, drawing was the only thing that interested me. So, I decided to go to art school. I studied at the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands.
Art Interview: Why did you select this school?
Levi van Veluw: Well, I visited all the art schools in the Netherlands. I wanted to go to a big city but in the end the school I liked most was in a small town. It was really clean and felt more like an institute than a school, which I liked. They have really good facilities.
Art Interview: Were there any professors there that influence you?
Levi van Veluw: No, not directly. We were allowed to make whatever we wanted in school and you had to struggle with that freedom. There was a lot of critiquing there and discussions about what we considered good and bad. They wanted to prepare you to work for your entire life and taught that working is a life process. They helped you learn how to motivate yourself and how to build discipline because once you finish school you have to work alone. The hardest thing is to stay motivated and to stay disciplined. Most artists stop working when they graduate because there’s no one pushing them to work. Only one or two percent of art students go on to make a career in the arts.
Art Interview: How do you stay disciplined?
Levi van Veluw: After a while you gain experience in how to motivate yourself. Working is not only a way to express yourself; it’s also a way to clear your head. By creating a lot of work you discover what you really want to make and you learn how to put yourself to work even on days when you don’t know what to do.
Art Interview: What type of studio do you have?
Levi van Veluw: I rented a big industrial building 6 months ago. It is about 250 square meters and is 6 meters high with a big overhead door for a truck.
Art Interview: Did you know that you would focus on photography when you applied to the ArtEZ Institute?
Levi van Veluw: No, at the time I didn’t have a clear idea of what I was doing or what I would do in the future. In 2003 I was painting and it was from these paintings that the art school accepted me. I was mostly experimenting in the beginning in order to find the medium and subject that suited me. Then I collaborated for two years with a group making short videos for a small Dutch TV network. When the group split up I had to find a way of working alone, so I started to take photographs. I began by experimenting with different objects and I slowly began to use myself in the pictures.
Art Interview: Were the paintings that you produced in school similar to what you are doing today?
Levi van Veluw: I think if someone else looked at the paintings that I made with colored lines and markers they might find some connection with what I'm doing now, but I don’t really see it.
Art Interview: Do you consider yourself a photographer, or do you consider yourself a conceptual artist?
Levi van Veluw: The intention and process of making work is totally different compared to how "photographers" work. My work is more about the concept with the image as an result.
When I work, I sit in front of a mirror surrounded by objects and use may head as a blank canvas. I search for ways to use these objects in a new context. It takes me about six to eight hours of experimenting before I am ready to take the photos. Taking the actual photos only takes about fifteen minutes.
The images that I make consist of often unlogical combinations of materials, patterns, colours, forms, with my head as the only constant factor. Each element is consciously chosen so as to affect a pre-determined transformation. By playing with the value of the each material and by using them for a purpose that was not originally intended for them, I construct within the image, in a very small way, a different perspective on the world.
In most cases it is my head that is the carrier of these transformations and combinations. The expressionless, and almost universal face, allows the viewer to project himself onto the work. Because the works have really existed and have not been digitally manipulated, each image contains a short history of a performance.
Art Interview: How many copies of each image do you print?
Levi van Veluw: I make editions of 5 at 120cm x 100cm
Art Interview: Why are you using yourself as a canvas?
Levi van Veluw: I tried working with other people as models when I started but I quickly became frustrated because I didn’t have enough control. I wasn’t able to get the results that I wanted. So, I started to photograph myself. Maybe there’s a bit of narcissism in it, but I find it more satisfying to photograph myself and I feel the results are somehow more personal. Plus, I think I’m lucky with the shape of my head, it’s bonier and shapelier than normal people’s heads. All these reasons combined to make it more logical to photograph myself.
Repetition is a theme I find very interesting as you can use it for different ends. For example using the same head and facial expression, the person slowly becomes of secondary importance to the form. The elements that remain constant lose their value and the elements that change, become the subject of the work. In this way I create a shift in the hierarchy of values.
Art Interview: You were an intern for the fine art photographer, Erwin Olaf. How did you arrange an internship with him?
Levi van Veluw: Just made an appointment.
Art Interview: What was the most valuable lesson that you learned from your internship?
Levi van Veluw: I don’t think technique is really interesting because you can always learn that from a book but I did learn a lot of technique from him. Most importantly I learned that you have to have a lot of discipline, to work a lot and not to be afraid to try things.
When an artist shows his or her work in public it can be a very scary moment because everyone has an opinion about the work and sometimes it can get really personal. Olaf taught me how to handle these things and how to handle myself in the art world.
Art Interview: Did you have to work part-time before you found a gallery to represent you?
Levi van Veluw: Yes, my early exhibitions didn’t bring me money and I had to pay for everything myself. I struggled financially with all the prints that I had to make. So, I tried to find a way of making money alongside my art. But at this moment I can live from selling the art.
When I was still in school I saw a lot of people just waiting around. I knew that I wanted to get my work into the world and I knew that I had to do something before graduating to avoid a black hole. So, I applied for photography competitions and won a few international awards. I managed to win an international photography award and this started getting me media attention. From that I made contacts in Germany and in the United States.
You would think that that would make producing work a lot easier, but it made it more difficult for me. I became very self-critical and I started thinking about the work too much. It’s difficult to work when your art becomes public. I started getting a lot of emails from people asking me things about my work and I became blocked doing administration. That made me really stressed so I tried to find people who could help me manage everything, which has worked out really well. My gallery has taken over many of the administration aspects so now I can just go to the studio and work.
Art Interview: How did you find representation?
This oral history transcript is the result of a digitally recorded interview with Levi van Veluw on January 31, 2008 and was updated by the artist in Feb. 2009. The interview took place over the telephone between Berlin, Germany and Arnhem, Netherlands and was conducted by Brendan Davis for Art Interview Online Magazine.
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