Chance & Coincidence
Jeroen Teunissen (1974, Valkenswaard) is interested in the structure by which the objects, signs and images that we are constantly emerged in are connected. With the multiplicity, interpretation, dexterity and transience of those objects, and the narrative they’re part of, very much interlaced and interwoven. An inexhaustible source of nonstop change, that reveals the chaotic beauty of nature’s force in the anthropocene.
He creates conditions for the occurence of moments of rapture in this chaos by the things he collects; objects found on the street, valuable personal artefacts, intrigueing waste, dead plants, images, recycleable materials, etc, etc, sometimes recreated, once in while purchased. In making temporary arrangements with these things he is looking for an accidental mood that could generate meaning or a resonating narrative. As an existential experience in finding balans between significance and magical thinking.
At young age Jeroen flounderd into art while actually wanting to study philosophy. He graduated from fine art with an installation made with hyperreal objects, that were received as design however. He misread the styling in fashion editorials for fashion design, but copied this hypothesized methodology nonetheless. ‘Semiotic Dissonance’ (his debut fashion collection made together with Melanie Rozema) got mistaken for modernist design and dragged them along on an international ‘Dutch Design’ wave. He landed a fashion career and a ‘Head of Design’ job at Viktor & Rolf due to their appreciation of his art. Later he became creative director for several commercial fashion companies and design & creative thinking lecturer at various art schools. Yet the level of pretending, and cosplaying these roles proved to not be sustainable for manifesting his artistic ideas.
Jeroen is currently working on art projects at home and teaching upcycle design classes.
contact: info@jeroenteunissen.nl