It's with great honour to announce and be included as apart of the Pakje Kunst contributors! For those of you thinking, what is a Pakje Kunst? In plain English, it means Packaged Art.
But wait, I'm not following you dude...
Pakje Kunst is an initiative in which artists are brought to the foreground in their own region by selling unique artwork as the size of a packet of cigarettes which is then dispensed from the repurposed cigarette vending machines. You can encounter any type of artwork in a box, giving the buyer access to the art scene in the area. These vending machines are usually placed in bookstores, theatres, museums, and cafes.
For those of you in The Netherlands and surrounding areas, I have created multiple random selections from my photo archive printed and pasted onto recycled cardboard.
I don't often create or present my work in this way, however, it has challenged me to think outside the square and how to share my images with those interested in photography and other mediums of art.
I have included a behind the scenes look at to how I put it together. No secrets here, just don't use to much glue so it doesn't get air bubbles, but also make sure you prime the cardboard and not normal spray paint as it is too heavy for the cardboard.
5 of my exclusive pieces will be available at Lowlands Festival 2018.
You draw a pack of art out of your own sheer curiosity, as a gift for a friend, as something extra with a bottle of wine or flowers, or even as a collector's item.
Beware though! Art can surprise, confuse, touch and irritate viewers to the best of times. In order to fully understand it, art has a waiting period before it can be truly understood.
The price goes toward continuing this great project and the artist themselves. So hey, next time you think of buying a pack of smokes, think of me and see if you can get a package of art from me or one of the other various artist who is involved in the great project.
Pakje Kunst is an initiative of Ro-Nalt Schrauwen, visual artist from Tilburg and inspired by the German Kunstautomat. In Germany, Kunstautomates or Art Automators are available in public spaces in most major cities. The goal of Pakje Kunst is to place one machine in every COROP area in the Netherlands and 15 machines in Belgium.
In December 2016, the first three vending machines in Tilburg were taken into use. By the end of 2017, this number has grown to 18 vending machines in 15 COROP areas.
You can find a list of partners and locations which currently store the packaged artwork here and the artists involved here.
If you've found my work, I'd love to hear from you! :)
Tim