Bart Nijstad

Bart Nijstad (born in 1979) is an artist, art teacher and illustrator (NRC) based in the city of Groningen, The Netherlands.

There is a ‘stream of images’ flowing through my mind, consisting of memories, comic books, movies, paintings and other art forms. Using an automatic drawing process, I try to organize and make sense of that stream of imagery. Sketches form the basis of my art practice. During a drawing session, I find fragments of my observations appearing on the paper somewhat unintentionally. The communal factor between these observations and subjects is a sense of awkwardness or discomfort. I am drawn to imagery that doesn’t make sense or seems like it shouldn’t even exist. This results in imagery that’s often humorous, absurd and maybe a bit grotesque.

At the moment I am working together with ceramist Brigitte van den Boogert. She makes pottery and I paint drawings on them. Because of the voluptuous shapes the drawings look different from other viewing angles. They become somewhat distorted which enhances the absurd imagery. The pottery will be exhibited at Het Resort in Groningen on April 25th. For the pool I would like to continue this collaboration and make larger pottery in combination with a mural.

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