Sjors van Leeuwen

For Sjors van Leeuwen (NL, 1992), coming to a standstill is a key element. When nothing happens, space can actually arise for movement. A moment of stillness to create emptiness, gain new insights, and allow change to occur.

 

The scenes in his paintings are landscapes, a body, the presence of the physical in a form of temporality. Since the temporal cannot be immortalized, the paintings capture the moment and then deconstruct it. In this way, they can travel to a new place to form a new moment. A painting is an experience of space and time.

 

His paintings invites you to participate in everyday moments, which are only temporary and will never happen again. It is an exploration of fully embracing these moments without attaching value to social status or materialism.

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Sjors's work emerges from a moment of everyday interruption. He begins by carefully painting shapes. He then uses tones and colors to create temporality on canvas as a space. An outsider who sees an opportunity to create a universal experience.

 

Sjors teaches art at primary schools and gives painting workshops to adults from diverse backgrounds, including refugees and some who have never painted before. He sees teaching as a way to make art accessible to everyone and is convinced that we are all capable of enjoying art, despite our differences. He shares his passion for painting during lessons and wants to help others discover what painting style suits them best. For him, the most important thing he's learned is observing carefully, and he'd love to share this with you. Other topics include composition, mixing colors, and shading.