Best of Graduates 2024

Biography

Josquin van Elburg (Dieren, 2002) makes paintings, sculptures and drawings. In his work, van Elburg juxtaposes art-historical references and forms, from the ancient Greeks to the Renaissance tradition to Modern painters such as Cézanne or Matisse, and even filmmakers such as Fellini and Antonioni. By making works, he tries to understand these visual languages ​​as contrasting ways of looking at and interpreting the world, full of beauty.

In his work, he navigates systems of connection from the self to the other. The world can be seen as Platonically harmonious in universal truths and relationships, expressed through Sprezzatura manner. However, the world can also be seen as an atonal collage of disconnected fragments, trying desperately to harmonize with itself and the other, but ever failing. There is a tension between these two opposites that he works with, and he encourages the viewer to distrust misleading ideas and forms in the work.

His work is characterized by an investigative approach, where making art is synonymous with researching and understanding the world. Through this lens, Van Elburg’s creations serve as a cartography of meanings, mapping out the systems that underpin human interaction and perception.