Gerwin Luijendijk works mainly with video, performance and video-installation. His work derives from a fascination for the work-process, the reflection on artist-hood and the choices made within the artistic process. This reflection on his own role as an artist, his artistic choices and his possible influence on what happens in front of the camera, emerge more through a conceptual set up rather than the classical role of a film director. His video performances in particular inquire into how the physical appearance of the performer challenges space and the surrounding objects.
Voice-over has become a crucial tool within the work. It does not merely reflect on the imagery but is used as an instrument to control the reading of the film. Both artist and performer are given a voice, offering different interpretations of what we see. Most of Gerwin’s work talks about a romantic desire and the question of how to get closer to its fulfillment. How does one deal with the boundaries of one’s own existence and
day-to-day compromises?
Gerwin Luijendijk’s new video works focus on their own making. Luijendijk challenges his subjects by creating situations through set-ups in which the camera provokes an activity of the performer. This
activity is subject to coincidence, and both the artist and the performer are constantly trying to maintain control over their own goal within the process. This creates moments of failure and frustration, often manifested in a humorous fashion.
Next to his individual practice Gerwin is member and co-founder of artist initiative ADA Rotterdam, Area for Debate and art. ADA is a self-organized, independent artists initiative formed in
September 2008 to support, nurture, stimulate and to create space for
critical reflection and debate in and about art, in an open,
cross-disciplinary minded and a friendly environment. At the core
of ADA are the art practices of six Rotterdam based artists (Maja Bekan,
Deirdre M. Donoghue, Gerwin Luijendijk, Margo Onnes, Esmé Valk and
Sjoerd Westbroek) who also run ADA’s public program.