Kleurhaven

As a painter, I find it fascinating to start from the medium closest to my heart: paint.
Despite the fact that paint today is mainly manufactured from synthetic substances, this was not always the case. In the past, paint was created from minerals, plant and animal raw materials, and sometimes even from human sources. This reminds me of the concept of "Mummybrown," which was produced for a short period in the 16th and 17th centuries. Later, this paint was mixed with linseed oil or gum arabic.

My project called "Kleurhaven" involves developing a "colour map" depicting the environment of the Entrepot in Bruges and the adjacent port, where Konvooi artfestival takes place. Throughout this process, I searched for materials that I could turn into pigments, ranging from natural elements such as stones and plants to more unconventional materials such as coffee grounds and cigarette butts. After collecting these materials, I dried and ground them into pigments, which were then mixed into paint.

The final result is a unique colour card that reflects the diversity of both the Entrepot and the Port of Bruges. This project led to the creation of a painting consisting of these 12 different paints.

Installation 'Kleurhaven', Loods at Port of  Bruges, 2023