The idea of Syrian gardens

The significance of Syria

Since 2012 my work is about the visual language of the European Middle Ages. How that visual language came into being, or rather where it came from, was not much of interest to me at first. That changed when the news addressed the destruction of ancient Syrian cultural heritage as a result of the war. Syria is one of the main countries located on the Silk Road and played an important role in world history, from ancient times to the present day. The Silk Road helped spread religion and shaped culture and had therefore great influence on determining the visual language of medieval times in Europe.

I remembered an exhibition by a Dutch painter called Robert Zandvliet who made new works based on old Dutch masters. He didn’t copy the old masters but built upon them as a tribute. To create something new out of destructed artifacts that deserve our everlasting attention, moved me. I realized I could give more meaning to my subject and decided to make art about lost Syrian heritage from the same time period as the Middle Ages. Whether it be paintings, manuscripts, architecture or objects, as long as it inspires me or is of significance to world heritage I can use it to make new work. I just had to find someone to point me in the right direction.

Openness

After some searching I came in contact with Rania Kataf. Rania is an expert in Syrian cultural heritage and suggested to take me on a virtual tour through Damascus, the old city where she lives. Obviously I didn’t know what to expect. I know so little about Syria, about Damascus, about the war. While holding an iPad, Rania walked through the city and talked about the market, the Umayyad Mosque, Street Called Straight, but also about the Syrian people. It was early morning, during the tour the city awoke. It was like the war had never taken place. Instead I saw a vivid city which made it so easy to see how Middle-Agers from Europe, Africans and people from Asia would come to Syria and interact with one another in the midst of remnants of the past.

But what could I take from all this to make new art? If Rania showed me one thing, it is just that: the resilience of mankind, openness to the unknown, warmth and curiosity. Openness as cultural heritage, why not?, would be my first topic.

As an idea

An open attitude is certainly something we could all benefit from. In the western world we see ourselves as liberated and open-minded, but we become increasingly polarized. ‘The idea of Syrian gardens’ is an idea about flourishing life in the desert, about contrasts, harmony and earthly riches. The garden is an important theme of Islam and Christianity. To use the idea of Syrian gardens as a leitmotif for this work fits perfectly to current world events. The world feels dry, we live in haste and we forget to cherish what we appreciate.

This work is not a Syrian artwork, rather inspired by the Syrian people. I hope that “The idea of Syrian gardens” will challenge and tempt us to stir towards open-mindedness. I want this NFT to stand for something meaningful and forever live on the blockchain, hoping to be followed by other artworks that share a positive believe. This artwork started as an idea and ideas are like seeds, they contain a lot of energy. Let’s see how this seed will flourish.

The idea of Syrian gardens

The significance of Syria

Since 2012 my work is about the visual language of the European Middle Ages. How that visual language came into being, or rather where it came from, was not much of interest to me at first. That changed when the news addressed the destruction of ancient Syrian cultural heritage as a result of the war. Syria is one of the main countries located on the Silk Road and played an important role in world history, from ancient times to the present day. The Silk Road helped spread religion and shaped culture and had therefore great influence on determining the visual language of medieval times in Europe.

I remembered an exhibition by a Dutch painter called Robert Zandvliet who made new works based on old Dutch masters. He didn’t copy the old masters but built upon them as a tribute. To create something new out of destructed artifacts that deserve our everlasting attention, moved me. I realized I could give more meaning to my subject and decided to make art about lost Syrian heritage from the same time period as the Middle Ages. Whether it be paintings, manuscripts, architecture or objects, as long as it inspires me or is of significance to world heritage I can use it to make new work. I just had to find someone to point me in the right direction.

Openness

After some searching I came in contact with Rania Kataf. Rania is an expert in Syrian cultural heritage and suggested to take me on a virtual tour through Damascus, the old city where she lives. Obviously I didn’t know what to expect. I know so little about Syria, about Damascus, about the war. While holding an iPad, Rania walked through the city and talked about the market, the Umayyad Mosque, Street Called Straight, but also about the Syrian people. It was early morning, during the tour the city awoke. It was like the war had never taken place. Instead I saw a vivid city which made it so easy to see how Middle-Agers from Europe, Africans and people from Asia would come to Syria and interact with one another in the midst of remnants of the past.

But what could I take from all this to make new art? If Rania showed me one thing, it is just that: the resilience of mankind, openness to the unknown, warmth and curiosity. Openness as cultural heritage, why not?, would be my first topic.

As an idea

An open attitude is certainly something we could all benefit from. In the western world we see ourselves as liberated and open-minded, but we become increasingly polarized. ‘The idea of Syrian gardens’ is an idea about flourishing life in the desert, about contrasts, harmony and earthly riches. The garden is an important theme of Islam and Christianity. To use the idea of Syrian gardens as a leitmotif for this work fits perfectly to current world events. The world feels dry, we live in haste and we forget to cherish what we appreciate.

This work is not a Syrian artwork, rather inspired by the Syrian people. I hope that “The idea of Syrian gardens” will challenge and tempt us to stir towards open-mindedness. I want this NFT to stand for something meaningful and forever live on the blockchain, hoping to be followed by other artworks that share a positive believe. This artwork started as an idea and ideas are like seeds, they contain a lot of energy. Let’s see how this seed will flourish.

Interview Brytehall - 2022

How did you arrive to the NFT space?

My artist friend Rutger van Tas introduced me to NFTs in February 2021, he had been making NFTs for years. Entering the space was overwhelming, as it is for everyone I presume. I started using Twitter again and joined Clubhouse. I spent hours on end chatting in NFT rooms. Especially the “Art:” room of Laurence White helped me find an interesting community that consists of representatives of the traditional art world and the NFT space. Coming form the traditional art world myself I felt comfortable in the overlap of both worlds.

On Clubhouse I met Kenza Zouari. She promoted some work of mine on her Instagram page and did it so elegantly. I asked her to become my agent to help represent my work. Rutger who is a core member of “The Guild” an NFT art collective, invited me to join them. Just a couple of months in, I was pretty sucked up by the space.

2. Your work is rich in medieval elements but it’s not a recreation of the past? What draws (pun unintended) you to that time?

There are several reasons why the Middle Ages are so interesting to me. I grew up in Germany and the Netherlands. Above all I feel European. The Middle Ages shaped European culture predominantly. The contrast of the Middle Ages to our time is great: back then labour was cheap and materials were expensive, now it is the other way around. Nowadays the pace of life is lightning fast where Middle Agers would take their time. These contradictions help me see our time more clearly.

It also has a romantic side to it. The Fantasy genre is often medieval-esque, but the contrast between what Hollywood presents us with and the depiction of medieval events couldn’t be greater: the way an actor slays a dragon compared to how Saint George is portrayed poking a dragon whilst holding a spear with just a couple of fingers, bored looking, is hilarious.

I am especially drawn to the medieval visual language. It is so basic and imperfect, so honest. A heraldic shield needn’t be pixel perfect, nor did paintings have to represent reality in a way the renaissance did. I love that.

3. How would you best describe your aesthetic and visual philosophy? For people who are unfamiliar to the historical backstories embedded in your work

I really want to serve the arts. The best way for me to do so, is trying to add something new and interesting to what is already there. I work very spontaneously and impulsively. I react to what I’ve have done and build upon that. I think my greatest strength is coping with my limitations, never being afraid of failure, because there is more to discover in ugliness and uncertainty than in what is already been appreciated. That philosophy doesn’t make my life easier though, but it does create a very distinct and unique language which is genuine, ambitious and - I think - beautiful.

4. Would you tell us a bit about your latest work ‘The idea of Syrian gardens’? For example, are these gardens mystical in nature or drawn from memory?

‘The idea of Syrian gardens’ is a work that derived from a virtual tour I took through Damascus Syria. Syria is one of the main countries located on the Silk Road and played an important role in world history. It was also of great influence on determining the visual language of medieval times in Europe. A lot of Syrian cultural heritage was destroyed by the war. I wanted to make new work based on lost medieval art from Syria.

I got in touch with Rania Kataf, an expert on Syrian heritage, who took me on that tour. What stood out more than anything was the resilience of the Syrian people, their openness to the unknown, their warmth and curiosity. ‘The idea of Syrian gardens’ is the first work I made that originates from what I’ve seen in Damascus. It is about openness. Openness to different religions, cultures, times, viewpoints etcetera. A garden in the desert suggests fertility but might also barre an element of surprise to people who are unfamiliar with deserts. The digital artwork shows many different elements. I hope that “The idea of Syrian gardens” will challenge and tempt us to stir towards open-mindedness.

5. Can you tell us about your Chasuble series? To the uninitiated, the imagery might have parts of the Knights Templar.

I used to make flower still life’s that were based on the famous Dutch genre from the 17th century. In 2012 I visited a museum in Utrecht, the Netherlands that showed a collection of old chasubles. It is hard to explain what happened, but immediately I knew that I’d found my new theme: the Middle Ages. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was so appealing about these robes. They were very dense, had stains on them - looked a bit frightening to be honest - yet they were and are still important to so many Christians. It is a weird mixture of facets that made me artistically restless (in a good way). So when I got home, I called the museum and asked them if I could study the chasubles for a day. The drawings I made in the museum were the first of the Chasubles series. A series that tries to capture this density, heaviness and robust decoration using bizarre amounts of filigrees.

6. How much of your work centres on myth and mysticism? How do you best balance both?

As we all know, the Middle Ages were very religious and full of symbolism. I am not interested in the meaning behind these symbols, but rather in what they look like or how they are being used. If it means something to someone, it’s enough for me. I will use similar imagery and pretend that it has symbolic value, to build a narrative, but rarely does it becomes more than an element in the margin.

7. Your physical creations, one imagines, have pride of place in displays of homes around the world. Do you see the digital equivalents appreciated in the same way?

Yes luckily my work sells. You hear many success stories in the NFT space about PFP projects that sell out rapidly or artworks that get flipped for enormous amounts of ETH. That’s not me. It is hard to be successful in the traditional art world and the same goes for the NFT space. I have a modest reputation in the Netherlands as an artist, but I do exhibit in my art in museums and galleries. When I entered the NFT space, nobody knew who I was. Although that might be frightening to some artists, I felt it was a humbling experience to start all over again - you need that to keep yourself grounded. But looking back at this year I do feel I have accomplished a lot. I am pleased with the work I made, I am involved in great projects with The Guild, “The idea of Syrian gardens” was exhibited at ETH Denver and will be on show this summer in a museum, I am a core team member of a Dutch group of NFT enthusiasts that are making plans with various institutions and museums to help them build an infrastructure for NFTs and now I am being interviewed by you. So yes, a year in the NFT space feels like forever in IRL.