Belgian artist Bart Van Dijck’s video art ‘The Weather was Good,’ and his unique style of work was introduced to the media at Tehran’s Sazmanab Gallery, recently.
“I’m a mixed-media artist and use all sorts of medium in my art, except in painting,” Honaronline quoted him as saying.
He described his work as “cultural” and said: “Conceptually speaking, I explore local folklore and cultural identity through art. I have always been concerned about how a culture is formed. Although my work moves toward anthropology at times, I’ve never sought a result, because that is when the creation process ends.”
Van Dijck said he was keen to meet new people and know different cultures. Travelling to various countries and visiting new places made him ponder on “my Belgian tradition.”
Folklore is an important feature of Van Dijck’s work, which was seen in the extensive one-day solo exhibition, inspired by his own childhood. “We had a club, we made camps and weapons, and we fought battles against imaginary enemies,” he says. “It’s like you’re in a tribe.”
His exhibition includes traditional clothes of ancient Belgian farmers. “Blue shirt, black trousers and other accessories such as a sport hat, similar to the original, were found in Iran but I needed wooden footwear, which is not available here.” Therefore, he made them himself to preserve the Belgian traditional color in his work.
Dijck, 41, makes videos, drawings, sculptures, installations and documentaries. The interest he has for both indigenous and exotic folk traditions is central to his work. He often focuses his study on youth and subcultures.
Sazmanab is an independent non-profit art space established in 2008. It supports artistic work in a wide range of media through exhibitions and events, residencies for artists and curators, educational initiatives, workshops, talks, and publications.
