Having worked as an independent interior architect for the last 12 years I started my career in fine arts only 3 years ago. I started creating spatial structures because I wanted to keep my mind trained in times of less assignments. These structures ended up to be of high autonomous quality and I quickly started exhibiting them. Meanwhile my architecture practice keeps running, but I have grown to really love creating art because it let's me move people in a far more deeper way." Robert de Goede
1- When did you decide to pursue art/illustration as a career? It was always a neglected fantasy since art-school. I became an interior architect right after getting my degree. However when the crisis hit and left me with a lot of extra time I decided this was the time to make dreams come true. Things started happening really fast and it takes me to special places. Ever since the beginning I got a lot of respect from art-lovers and artists which helped me decide to pursue a serious career in arts.
2- What are your goals as an artist? Make better works, reach and meat more people and get to new and inspiring places, both physically as mentally.
3- What's your favorite place to developed your ideas? Getting those ideas: anywhere possible. Developing them would be in my studio where I can do all I want: I can sketch it, but more importantly I can make study models or the real thing really fast here in my workshop. Upon starting as an artist I build a workshop in my architects studio. All the works I created I have build here. This involves sketching, tuning them and make building-plans on the computer, saw the wood or metal parts, paint them and finish the wiring. I tend to always have enough material on stock to not have to leave the studio on crazy times.
4- Where in the world is your favorite place to see art? The best and most influencial exhibitions I saw were in the United States, But ever since the Stedelijk Museum opened up again it is great to just pop in for even half an hour, just to get inspired by the great works in the permanent collection. However, anywhere on a nice trip or even in my own city it is a great experience to get surprised by great art when you wonder through a gallery or museum.
5- What exhibit, that you have seen within the last year, has most influenced you? Last october I was in New Mexico and saw Walter de Maria's Lightning Field. An almost undescribable experience of seeing a rigid, minimimalist piece of art in a place in the mountains 4 hours driving from society. A magical experience. This was the closest I came to having a religous experience through art. Seeing the work on a flat, dessert-like plane in the mountains. Watching the sun set and later rise again in the cold of night was unlike anything I have ever experienced. It raised so many questions that I am still wondering about the piece and its relation to my own work. T he reason why it has been open for public for the last 35+ years is quite obvious. A 'normal' exhibit I saw were the curved mirrors by Anish Kapoor in 'de Pont' here in the Netherlands. Very confusing too, and aesthetically beautiful (after all I still am an architect).
6- Do you collect anything? No, I tend to be able to fit all of my most desired attributes in a shoebox. Does collecting great experiences involving art count? If my budget would allow I guess I would develop an expensive art-collectors hobby as I can really appreciate other peoples good work.
7- If you could choose anyone to see your work, who would he or she be? At the moment that would be the late Sol Lewitt. His work is of great value to me and I sometimes run into work of his that in a different form or dimension I made myself. It would be great to show him how I translated some of his work into my own, contemporary version.
8- What is the greatest compliment anyone has ever paid to you regarding your artwork? The utter surprise people show when they see the seriousness of my work is always great. But I had some experts tell me that this is stuff that belongs in the best gallery's or museums, lets hope their words were prophetic :)
9- In wich walls would you like to see your work exposed in 10/20 years. Haha, this is where dreams are made ofcourse. Naturally the museum dearest to me: the Stedelijk in Amsterdam. Also any serious place in New York, especially the DIA art-foundation (the MOMA is ok too haha). Any building by Richard Meier will do and I want to be on show in Japan.
9- In wich walls would you like to see your work exposed in 10/20 years. Haha, this is where dreams are made ofcourse. Naturally the museum dearest to me: the Stedelijk in Amsterdam. Also any serious place in New York, especially the DIA art-foundation (the MOMA is ok too haha). Any building by Richard Meier will do and I want to be on show in Japan.
10. Last one, Who would you love to see answering this same questions? That would be an old friend, someone I have not spoken to in a while, but who's work I closely follow as he posts it on the net frequently. His name is Boris Tellegen, artists name is Delta. He was one of the pioneers in the Amsterdam graffiti-scene and makes great spatial art now, being quite successful as well. http://www.deltainc.nl