Deep Tissue

Deep Tissue is a series of aluminum prints. During a two year residency at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, working alongside artists from an international community, I became very aware of different norms and customs around physical contact, including my own, and started to keep a diary of moments of touch. All hand shakes, accidental elbow bumps and the tiniest of interactions were noted down at the end of the day. The diary became a score for a live performance and these artworks.

Together with professional massage therapist Eddie Gilpin, I massaged fragments of my diary into thick aluminum foil. The font I used was designed by Meg Huston and fellow artist Lili Huston-Herterich.

I stand on the curators foot (see picture)

I cant keep track of how many people I have touched (see picture)

I hug them both (see video)

I immediately regret the handshake

One of the nurses had her hand on my shoulder

The amount of touching is minimal

Interested in an edition piece? Contact the artist at kjvanlaere@gmail.com

Pictures 1,2 by Alex Heuvink picture 3, 4, 5, 6 by Karel van Laere, Picture 7 by Tomek Dersu Aaron