30 march 2022, Oscar van Gelderen
The studio of... Guillaume Bijl
What does the ideal studio look like? How much time does an artist spend in his studio? Is it a sacred place? We kick off the new 'The studio of...' series with an artist without a studio: Guillaume Bijl (76), who currently has a solo exhibition at Keteleer Gallery in Antwerp.
Why don't you have a studio?
Because I usually execute 'Installations', 'Compositions' and 'Sorry's' in the art spaces at my disposal, and because it makes no sense to take a look at a 'Supermarket' installation, an 'Atomic Bomb Shelter' or a 'Thai Massage' at my place. For large 'Installations' I use a loan system from companies or institutions: if the works go unsold, they return to those companies.
You refer to a depot instead of a studio. Why is that?
Because I don't have a studio. I prepare all my projects by email and in the past by fax. In the eighties I didn't even have a phone or a car. And in my house there are only depot spaces.
Is a depot merely a storage place or is work also made or assembled there?
Sometimes small things are prepared there. A 'Sorry' or a 'Composition Trouve'.
Do you go to one of your depots every day? And do you go on foot, by bicycle, public transport or car?
I usually stay at home. Sometimes I go with a driver/assistant on a prospecting trip to Milan, Vienna or Paris, because I need to organize everything, which is a big part of my oeuvre. I take a lot of taxis here in the city. My bike has been stored for a long time…it’s too dangerous in Antwerp.
On the way to your depot, do you often come across materials that you can use?
I don't go shopping all the time – only when I need to in view of new exhibition. Some people think I trip on objects, and even collect, but the opposite is the case. I'm not an aesthete.
On average, how much time do you spend in your depot every day?
I spend a lot of time on that damn computer (the digital age is not for me). I am busy 'Eight days a week', so to speak, albeit with the necessary breaks and lots of fun in between. Sometimes playing a DJ is my hobby… I rarely visit my depots.
Is the depot a sacred place? Or do you also receive visitors such as collectors, curators or fellow artists?
I have no sacred places. A lot of people come to our house. Especially artists. They usually cause distraction. Sometimes collectors and curators. My wife (vzw Escautville) and my daughter (vzw Lichtekooi) are also curators. Everyone is welcome…
You mainly work in situ, but you also make assemblages. Where does the customization take place?
Even at Art Fairs I have made assemblages on site. I sometimes also make 'Project Drawings' to make something clear: how I see it in advance in the art space. Those drawings are historically interesting… the roots of some installations.
Do you like to visit other artists' studios?
I like visiting other artists' studios. Specially to emerging artists. I still regularly visit the HISK Ateliers in Ghent as a guest lecturer. Yes, I have a keen eye for new talents.
What does the ideal studio, or in your case: depot, look like?
Due to the fact that I adapt to the given art spaces – as an in situ artist – I have no particular preference. I am thinking of installing a work from my 'Behandelingen (Treatments)' series in the cellars of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Maybe when I turn eighty!
Guilaume Bijl in action as DJ
