Museum JAN in Amstelveen presents the first solo museum exhibition by artist Boris de Beijer (1986). De Beijer graduated from the Rietveld Academy as a jewelry designer. Since then, he has developed an interdisciplinary practice in which his work moves between the functional and the autonomous. His main focus is on craftsmanship. De Beijer enjoys mastering new techniques and working with various materials. He created new work especially for Museum JAN, partly in collaboration with glassblowers from the Amsterdam glass studio Van Tetterode.

The ancient world is an important source of inspiration for De Beijer. In Artefactum 3000, he creates a world in which elements of an ancient Roman city are recognizable, with a nod to the distant future.

Love for craftsmanship

A love of traditional craftsmanship lies at the heart of De Beijer's work. He wants to know everything about the materials he works with: how they behave when processed in different ways, how they relate to other materials, how they can be worked. 'For many artists and designers, the craft aspect is one of the least glamorous parts of their work. They tend to talk about the grand and sometimes magical moment when an idea suddenly pops into their head. The inspiration. But for me, such a moment of inspiration is not possible without first immersing myself in 'dirty' work. Ideas come to me by diving directly into the material,' says De Beijer. 'Craftsmanship has an undeservedly subordinate position in the art and design world, while many great artists and designers, both ancient and modern, are guided and inspired by craftsmanship. For me, this is an inescapable recurring theme.'

Experimenting with glass

De Beijer prefers to immerse himself in the ancient techniques of Greek and Roman civilization, 'where it all began. My ideas stem from that research into materials and techniques.' De Beijer plays with the idea of 'grandeur' by imitating works from antiquity with unconventional materials. For example, he finds (copies of) classical figurines that inspire him in thrift stores, or he makes his own (glass) version of an Etruscan vase with stamped studs, based on an image in a catalog. 'Craftsmanship is central to me, but it is both used and abused.' For his new works, De Beijer began experimenting with glass. In collaboration with glass specialists Frederic Van Overschelde and Sander van der Wal of the Van Tetterode Glass Studio, he perfected the craft, resulting in beautiful glass objects.

Boris de Beijer

In 2011, Boris de Beijer graduated from the Jewelry - Connecting Body Parts department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Today, Boris de Beijer's work is on display in national and international galleries and cultural institutions and is represented in museum collections at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, CODA in Apeldoorn, and the MAD Museum in New York. He has also created commissioned work for Jacquemus, Róhe Frames, Semaine, Cibone, Ace&Tate, and others.

With thanks to the Modern Glass Foundation and the Van Tetterode Glass Studio.