18 march 2024, Wouter van den Eijkel
The studio of... Tom Woestenborghs
Tom Woestenborghs calls both his studio in Hoogstraten, a border town between Antwerp and Breda, his home and himself a creature of habit. Once in his studio, the curtain closes, the music starts playing and the coffee machine is switched on – every day without fail. It's a place where he feels at home and can fully immerse himself in his work.
For As Long as it Lasts, Woestenborghs was inspired by the work of French Rococo painters Boucher and Fragonard. He noticed similarities between their visual language and what is currently in vogue. "The extremely frivolous nature present in their work is something I also very much see in contemporary mainstream visual culture." Woestenborghs also sees societal parallels between the Ancien Régime and the present day. "I believe there's a sense of a sort of societal endpoint. Or at least of this model. At the same time, we are, among other things, blinded and reassured by visual culture."
As long as it lasts can be viewed until 30 March at the Frank Taal Gallery in Rotterdam.
Where is your studio located and what does it look like?
My studio is located in Hoogstraten in Belgium, a town along the border of Belgium and the Netherlands. My studio was originally built as a retail space or office and is an 8 x 17 metre concrete shaft with a glass facade at the front and three skylights at the back. In other words, it's very spacious and basic.
Studio Tom Woestenborghs
What makes a good studio for you: natural light, high ceilings, ample storage, colleagues and friends nearby?
To me, a studio should first and foremost feel like home, a place where you can shut yourself off from the world and focus 100%. The glass facade at the front has a fully closing curtain. Storage, light and ceilings are certainly an added advantage. What I probably appreciate most about my spacious studio is the mental distance it allows me to take from my work. I can hang a series of works for a while and let their relationship to each other and to possible future works sink in.
What does a typical day in your studio look like? Do you have routines or do you try to avoid them? Is there music playing and do you receive visitors?
I'm definitely a creature of habit. I set my alarm for 6:45 am, spend my morning with the family and arrive at my studio at around half past eight. The curtain is then closed, the music started and the coffee machine switched on. Every weekday without exception. Thankfully, I'm more flexible on weekends. Like I said, a studio has to feel like home. The centre of my activity is a sitting area with a record player and record collection with a desk next to it. The visitors I receive are mostly work-related.
Tom Woestenborgs, The gilded superficial, 2023, Frank Taal Galerie
Congratulations on As Long as it Lasts! The title suggests our ominous times. When did you realise that this was a subject suitable for an exhibition?
Thank you! It’s something that evolves organically. My subjects usually stem from a subconscious feeling. It might be a work that naturally arises and I later question the how and why. This then leads to new insights and choices. As a series progresses, the work becomes more focused and exploratory, the images more consciously constructed.
For the show, you drew inspiration from Rococo painters like Fragonard and Boucher, who worked in the years before and during the French Revolution. Why did you specifically turn to these French painters and what appeals to you about their work? Did you also consider going back to painters from the interwar period who worked in a somewhat similar situation?
I think I was first attracted to the frivolity of Rococo painters. That interest is not new. The extremely frivolous nature present in their work is something I also feel very much in contemporary mainstream visual culture. So, it was a rewarding parallel. But I should add here that in my work, I consciously seek out the underlying pain and loneliness that characterise our time. The richness of Rococo allowed me to be visually highly extroverted and secondly, the melancholy to emerge to the surface or hide behind it. 'Bling' as a weapon to conceal the deeper and emotional. My exploration of this duality can clearly be seen.
As for the interwar period, that could indeed have been a logical possibility, as logical as the fall of the Western Roman Empire. But I chose the fall of the Ancien Régime and French Revolution. I thought it best to focus on one period.
Tom Woestenborghs, Toilet (De Venus), 2022, Frank Taal Galerie
The title of the show suggests that we have reached a similar point in history as when Fragonard and Boucher worked. What parallels do you see?
I think there's a sense of a sort of societal endpoint. Or at least of this model. You feel the pressure of being too late with the green revolution, growing international tensions, migration flows, old geopolitical power balances that have been thrown off balance, etc. At the same time, we are, among other things, blinded and reassured by visual culture. We are conditioned to seek as much personal happiness as possible, preferably through material luxury and abundance. Fragonard and Boucher's work also completely embodies this atmosphere. Of course, I can only infer what Fragonard and Boucher truly felt, did or thought. I am aware of this issue, but at the same time, am far from innocent when it comes to the 'sins' of our time.
You were trained as a painter, but make collages with photography and adhesive tape. Can you explain your method? Do you remember when you first developed it?
This, too, is something that has evolved. I was trained as a painter, but halfway through my studies, I was already working on models. Video installations were constructed around them. After a few years, the idea of video installation faded into the background, but my passion for cutting out models was still very much alive. This transformed first into fairly graphic collages on lightboxes and later back into a painterly investigation. Full circle, in other words. ;)
With models, the idea of deconstruction and reassembly is very tangible. I still have this way of looking at the images I create. The notion of photography often comes up. My work has a high degree of realism, but ultimately, everything is hand-cut. The only difference from the paint and brush painter is that this has been replaced by coloured plastic films and a scalpel.
Tom Woestenborghs, Post Party 2, 2023, Frank Taal Galerie
How do you source your visual material? Do you take the pictures yourself, find them online or are there specific books and magazines you use?
Almost all of my work starts from self-taken photos. I always work with models I personally know. I also enjoy constructing composite images. Material from art history or popular culture also easily finds its way into my images. Where do I find everything? Everywhere: in books, online, on the street, you name it.
What's the best compliment you've ever received about your work from a visitor?
I once saw a gallerist wipe tears of happiness away when seeing a large new work for the first time. That ranks high on the list.
Do you already know what your next project will be?
Yes, I do. The original plan for my current series was to focus on the transition from Rococo to Romanticism. With its vast landscapes and introspection, Romanticism is the antithesis of Rococo. A year ago, I unexpectedly received an offer to work at Château de Suronde, a winery in the Loire region with an artist residency. This gave me the opportunity to separate the two. So, landscape it is! Quite outside my comfort zone, but also an exciting and entirely new challenge. I am currently picking up this theme again. This will culminate in a solo exhibition on the landscape at Huisburg, a recently opened exhibition house in Tervuren, sometime in September 2024.
Studio Tom Woestenborghs
