Joost Gerritsen, Valencia
Member Since January 2015
Artist Statement My life started on the first of August 1968. The first couple of 18 years Epilepsy was a major part of my life. On the age of 12 I lived for half a year in a centre for Epilepsy research where I took pills with very strange names. (I had to much electricity flowing through my brain ;-)
But there where my lovely parents too. My mum was a graphic designer and my father a photographer. I grew up in an artistic environment ( granddad was a painter and violin builder and my cousin is an artist too. ) and I loved it.
There where two major exhibitions which inspired me and gave me food for my curiosity. One of them was the Documenta 7 in Kassel, Germany. The other was a exhibition called La Grande Parade in Amsterdam, a painting exhibitions with all the great modern painters. Like Bacon, Beckmann, Polke, Guston and De Kooning. I’ve never seen an exhibition like that anymore. But I was in love, that was for sure.
In 1988 I went to art school and studied there 5 years, a great time I had. I graduated in 1993 on the AKI, Enschede and went to Amsterdam.
I like Amsterdam and had there several exhibitions, solo and participating. I organized some exhibitions for others in my home as well with some crazy happenings and won an award in 2007.
But in 2006 it was time to go abroad. I went to Spain. Me and my wife bought a house on the country side near Valencia. We’re living completely off the grid and 3 years ago I build a studio in the garden and that’s where I work now.