Josine Vissers

Josine Vissers is a conceptual artist from Breda, Netherlands. Our conversation took place in May 2020. We talked about how her work both celebrates and questions the endless stream of lifestyle messages that invade our thought and private lives – how she nudges the viewer into think about what influencers, for example, are really like underneath the sheen of their profiles, and whether or not we would really want to be like them if we could.

How and when did you realise that you wanted to become an artist? 

I didn’t really think about becoming an artist. I just liked the idea of going to art school. In fact, my dream was to go to art school, and at that time there was no ‘afterwards’. My peers were exploring the world by travelling, and I saw the art academy as my world trip. 

At the Art Academy, in the first year you could explore between the different departments and you didn't have to choose one directly. I was able to be open and just enjoyed the program. There was a moment in second year that a teacher asked who in my class had the ambition to become a famous artist. That was a kind of realisation.

What kind of work are you making at the moment? 

I’m doing a lot of research, reading and searching for new opportunities online. The research creates the pressure to make work.

 I last made a digital work using horoscopes as a metaphor. I used them to make a fictitious compilation. I was prompted by a horoscope in an old issue of Red Magazine. It was a nice metaphor, the general idea that people want to move forward or want to have luck. Horoscopes are all about status, good health, happiness and fortune. Even in the current situation (Covid-19 quarantine) when you can’t go anywhere, people still want to improve those elements. Everyone is more interested in the basic elements that you find in the horoscope at this moment. Now it’s more about feeling good and feeling safe and not about the next Chanel bag.

Where do you find your influences?

I’m a very visual person, so I observe a lot and collect pieces of info and pics from magazines or other media. I need to be amazed, attracted or wondering about a subject. That’s my starting point – at least two of those things, and sometimes all three. I look at urban landscapes, how people interact, newspapers and magazines, online influencers, social media, and when I see something there has to be these three things. The theme is seduction – being seduced by information and advertisements. 

I’m also a consumer of these things, and I enjoy them, but they raise a lot of questions. I’m mystified by online influencers – how they behave and how they talk. The perfect life is not achievable but they work as if it was, setting their goals, talking about how everything is going well, and how others can achieve these goals. And, they get a lot of sponsorship money. I enjoy watching it but it also makes me feel bad sometimes, and insecure. It gives me the feeling that I also want to be successful. But of course it can't be realistic to compare yourself to such people. Plus, is there any truth in what they say?

These are the triggers. I made work about giving advice, and about the advice that’s given – about all the top tens and top fives – there was a period when everyone online seemed to be waking up at 5am to see if they could get more work done while everyone else is sleeping. They didn’t mention that you’d have to go to bed at 9pm for that. It all sounds very attractive, first you meditate then write in your journal and watch the sun coming up. If I followed it all I'd have no life. It’s impossible to live like that. It’s like a new religion. 

Food is another new religion. Predicting what you should and shouldn't eat. Girls with all their food measured out… It’s dangerous. For some people it’s not good to see all that advice, because everybody's life is different. Most people have families or jobs, but the influencers’ job is to do stuff and make video content about it. The happy few – not necessarily happy but needing to show that a life like that is for a happy few. The content that fascinates me is for people who want to be the better version of themselves. 

What challenges do you face as an artist?  

It’s difficult to show work because as a young artist there’s a lot of competition when you react to open calls. The only thing you can do is get to work and try again. 

Everything went really quiet on that front after my graduation. I worked all the way around that struggle and when I wasn’t asked to take part in projects I organised my own. I did an exhibition with an old classmate and I still get invitations because of that exhibition. When you have the guts to organise something or do something people will contact you. Something I needed to learn in the beginning is that when people see you they will remember you. You need to work on your visibility. And now, with Covid, all that visibility is online.  

People quit and don’t want to do it anymore and I get really sad about that. It doesn’t work out how they expect it too. But you don’t know what to expect. 

What are your artistic plans for the coming year, and the future beyond that?

I’m looking for ways to collaborate with other artists. For now, I’ve challenged myself to make more work so that when the Covid-19 quarantine is over I can work on an exhibition. I’d love to make a great exhibition with a publication alongside it that shows works, or text or an interview or an essay. I see it as a small book or publication in which I want to collect information about my practice. I’d like to work towards a moment where that would happen. 

The work will be about the media and market research. That’s always the main focus. I’m also looking at the Japanese lifestyle. In the past the culture of Japan was of a slow life, like the wabi sabi. I’m making a kimono and I like that when I’m sewing it I’m really slow. That would be a really good object to put in the show. 

See more of Josine’s work at josinevissers.com