Erik de Bree (1977) won the Van Vlissingen Art Foundation Prize in 2014. For his inpiration trip, Erik chose Azores as his destination. “A random choice. A gamble. One that worked out well,” says Erik.
Part of the Inspiration series, the book featuring his work entitled, Erik de Bree op São Miguel: Een Nederlandse kunstenaar op de Azoren, was written by Joost Bergman and published by Waanders Publishers. Erik’s work was on display at Veilinghuis Christie’s in Amsterdam in 2014.
Erik de Bree carefully builds up layers of acrylic paint or wallpaper to create his paintings and collages. Once ‘finished,’ he reworks his piece by breaking down parts and adding to them again. This process results in a unique and surprising new image partly created by pure chance. The playful approach, cheerful colors and unexpected lines reflect the uninhibited nature of childhood. The creative process remains visible and is an essential part of the result, unpredictable as life itself.
Erik de Bree chose to travel to the Azores for inspiration. “A random choice. A gamble. One that turned out well,” Erik said. Instead of being overwhelmed by nature, new impressions and insights, he experienced the shock of recognition. Decaying buildings, walls and garage doors—it matched his working process of demolition and decay.
What Erik still finds special is the fact that his choice for an inspiration trip to the Azores was more or less a ‘lucky shot’ that turned out to contain many elements that overlapped with the subject he was exploring at the time. Of this, he said, “The hundreds of walls, buildings and garage doors I photographed on the island of São Miguel dovetailed seamlessly with the painting that was a turning point in my artistic process up to that point.”
Erik’s stay in the Azores sparked a love that inspired new creations.
Erik: “The inspiration gained from my trip to the Azores was quite immediately visible in the development of the work. I was just dealing with degraded surfaces when I arrived in the Azores. Once there, I found weathered doors, walls and posters all over the cities. I photographed all these surfaces and printed them once in the Netherlands and hung them in the studio. These images were the starting points for the paintings I started making for my presentation at Christie’s.”
The support of the van Vlissingen Art Foundation came at a key moment in Erik’s development. Erik: “It not only provided me with possibilities, but also a good reason to jump into the deep end. It allowed me the opportunity to present myself in a refined manner and introduce myself to collectors and gallery owners. The fact that museum Voorlinden bought two works was, of course, a wonderful reward after a period of hard work!”
Since winning the van Vlissingen Art Foundation prize in 2014, Erik has slowly but surely continued his professional practice. For the last five years, he has been working with Torch gallery in Amsterdam. Erik also regularly exhibits abroad. Erik: “This year, for example, I will show my work for the first time at a gallery in Taiwan. In previous years, the work was already displayed in Germany, Austria, the U.S. and Luxembourg.”
Erik de Bree carefully builds up layers of acrylic paint or wallpaper to create his paintings and collages. Once ‘finished,’ he reworks his piece by breaking down parts and adding to them again. This process results in a unique and surprising new image partly created by pure chance. The playful approach, cheerful colors and unexpected lines reflect the uninhibited nature of childhood. The creative process remains visible and is an essential part of the result, unpredictable as life itself.
Erik de Bree chose to travel to the Azores for inspiration. “A random choice. A gamble. One that turned out well,” Erik said. Instead of being overwhelmed by nature, new impressions and insights, he experienced the shock of recognition. Decaying buildings, walls and garage doors—it matched his working process of demolition and decay.
What Erik still finds special is the fact that his choice for an inspiration trip to the Azores was more or less a ‘lucky shot’ that turned out to contain many elements that overlapped with the subject he was exploring at the time. Of this, he said, “The hundreds of walls, buildings and garage doors I photographed on the island of São Miguel dovetailed seamlessly with the painting that was a turning point in my artistic process up to that point.”
Erik’s stay in the Azores sparked a love that inspired new creations.
Erik: “The inspiration gained from my trip to the Azores was quite immediately visible in the development of the work. I was just dealing with degraded surfaces when I arrived in the Azores. Once there, I found weathered doors, walls and posters all over the cities. I photographed all these surfaces and printed them once in the Netherlands and hung them in the studio. These images were the starting points for the paintings I started making for my presentation at Christie’s.”
The support of the van Vlissingen Art Foundation came at a key moment in Erik’s development. Erik: “It not only provided me with possibilities, but also a good reason to jump into the deep end. It allowed me the opportunity to present myself in a refined manner and introduce myself to collectors and gallery owners. The fact that museum Voorlinden bought two works was, of course, a wonderful reward after a period of hard work!”
Since winning the van Vlissingen Art Foundation prize in 2014, Erik has slowly but surely continued his professional practice. For the last five years, he has been working with Torch gallery in Amsterdam. Erik also regularly exhibits abroad. Erik: “This year, for example, I will show my work for the first time at a gallery in Taiwan. In previous years, the work was already displayed in Germany, Austria, the U.S. and Luxembourg.”
