Interview with artist 'Dik Nicolai'

About origin, material and creativity

You were born and raised in the countryside. What influence has that had on your work?

As a child, I roamed through meadows and allotments behind our house in Friesland. I collected pebbles, shards of glass, pottery, and old pipe bowls that came out of the ground while plowing.

That fascination with found shards is still reflected in my work. Moreover, life in the countryside made me aware of the seasons: bloom and decay, growth and transience, aesthetics and rawness. These are themes that are still subtly present in what I create.

When did you discover that visual art was important to you?

I drew a lot as a little boy and was fascinated by ‘form & compositions’. I remember a heavy magnet above my bed, with a paperclip that seemed to float on a tightly stretched thread. That little visual wonder fascinated me enormously. Looking back, I recognize in it my early interest in form, tension, and wonder.

About portrait objects and collections

Where does your fascination with found materials come from?

It originated at a young age, but really took shape when I lived in a Catalan winery for a considerable period in the early 2000s. During walks through dry riverbeds near the village, I collected earthenware, glass, and porcelain. With these, I created collages and objects from found materials. A series of about thirty works was later exhibited in Barcelona and was displayed and sold for years in the art department of De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. Currently, I have approximately still lifes from this first college series from Spain in my own collection.

Why do you use gold, silver, and crystal in your objects?

The collection of personal work from my current period consists of photographed faces that were first constructed from glass, earthenware, porcelain, and other found materials. Gold, silver, and crystal form a deliberate contrast within them. The purity and luster of these materials actually enhance the rough, weathered character of the found fragments. I subsequently photographed all the faces and digitally enhanced them to look stronger and fresher. All printed, framed, signed, and numbered.

Your work often seems to be about restoration and transformation. Is that intentional?

Yes. In life, construction and destruction exist side by side. That applies to my work as well. I am interested in how damage, change, and restoration can form a truly fresh story together. The balance between the past and renewal is ultimately a reflection of life itself.

What do you hope people experience when standing in front of such a work?

I hope that every work first arouses curiosity: what am I actually seeing here? Which ingredients am I looking at? The contrasts may stand out immediately, but after that, I invite the viewer to come closer and discover more and more new details.

About the still lifes

How did your love for still life come about?

As a child, I constantly changed the compositions of objects on a shelf above my bed. I was fascinated by images that had just a touch of alienation.

Around 2010, I was living in an abandoned monastery near Leiden. This property had a large garden with flowers, a shed with old materials, and an attic with weathered ecclesiastical objects. Here, the door slowly opened to old items combined with, for example, fresh flowers. One thing led to another.

What does still life offer that portrait photography does not?

For me, portrait photography is about connecting with people. Creating still lifes, on the other hand, offers the freedom to compose in silence using objects, textiles, and daylight. That process has an almost meditative quality.

How does a still life come into being?

I usually start with the objects present. During the process, themes emerge naturally upon which I build. For commissions, I develop a concept together with the client, and we collect objects that fit it.

Which themes recur in your still lifes?

Life and death are recurring subjects. Not in a heavy way, but subtly: fresh flowers next to worn objects, beauty next to transience. It is precisely this contrast that makes the image compelling.

Do you also work on commission?

Yes, but always within my own visual language. Royal de Vries boat builder approached me for this, and last year Royal ERU asked me to capture their company in a large still life. Clients consciously choose my style and give me the space to shape it further. As a result, a great deal of artistic freedom remains, even within commissions.

What are you currently working on?

At the moment, I am consciously taking some distance from major exhibitions. I am now devoting a lot of time to study, researching materials, art history, and new possibilities for future projects.

Finally 

What advice would you like to give young makers?

Follow your recurring fascinations. Explore them, delve into them, and keep practicing. Over time, you will discover that your own visual language is hidden precisely within them. That is your profile as a maker. Build upon that. But be open to deviations and play with an open mind. Then the unique will continue to grow.