Wouter Paijmans (1991, Loon op Zand) recently exchanged the paintbrush for needle and thread. The artist focuses on the production of paintings and distils visual qualities of the western consumer society. The melancholy of abandoned stores, empty shop windows, sales of redundant stock and imitation clothing are reoccurring elements of mass consumption that appear in his works.
The artist teases himself into boredom by reproducing copies of original textile panels. This methodology of repeatedly making the same introduces the notion of ‘confection painting’: the use of ‘original’ work as a blueprint for ‘imitations’. Paijmans acts both as the sewer as well as the manager of his own sweatshop.
During the repetitive task of producing confection paintings, the artist hankers for the ‘aura’ of the original, while making each copy. What ultimately remains of an artists’ practice when one decomposes one’s own work and reproduces it over and over?
Wouter Paijmans studied at the Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam and was resident at AVL Mundo Rotterdam and De Ateliers, Amsterdam. In 2019 Paijmans won the 'Werkbijdrage Jong Talent' from the Mondriaan Fund, in 2018 he was awarded the Buning Brongers Prijs and was nominated for the Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst. In 2017 the artist was nominated for De Scheffer prize and the NN Group Award.
Recent solo and group exhibitions include De Pont (2019), Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam (2019), Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht (2019), Triumph Gallery, Moscow (2018), Zuiderzeemuseum, Enkhuizen (2017).
His works are included in, amongst others, the collection of Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar, ABN AMRO, Amsterdam, NN Group, Amsterdam.