In the Fantastikè studio in Maastricht, 2022

Between 2020 and 2023 I have been a member of the joint studio Fantastikè in Maastricht, a collective for people with a psychological vulnerability. Here I created many collages and mixed media work and I did experiments with various  techniques and materials. This period marked my first contributions to exhibitions, like the joint exhibition with artist Jo Coort in November 2022 in the Lutherse Kerk in Maastricht and a  contribution about dissociative identity and creativity during the BFF#13 activity of the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht (see image below).

In the studio we held various activities which I was happy to contribute to,  like painting a horse named Sphelinx which we presented in the Town Hall of Maastricht to the mayor of Maastricht, Ms. Annemarie Penn-te Strake Image left: painting the horse, image right From left to right: the mayor, Jimmy, Moniek Gerrits)

Queer identity in childhood portraits in the Town Hall of Beek in December 2023

However, when I finished the work I had created in my home studio at the end of 2023, hate speech and false insinuations regarding the piece "Prisoner of the State"  (see image archive 4 #124) began to emerge. This led to a highly unsafe situation in which the board of Fantastikè did not stand behind me. For safety reasons, I then decided to leave for good and work exclusively from home.

Art academy Tongeren, Verviers (Belgium)

In the Art academy Pentagoon in Tongeren 2020

In Belgium, there is part-time arts education for the visual arts. In 2020, I enrolled at the art academy in Tongeren, but due to the coronavirus crisis, I had to stop after a few months. I ended up spending a year and a half in isolation at home. In 2023, I signed up for the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Verviers, focusing on drawing. After a few months, I had to quit because I could no longer afford the travel expenses. A subsequent attempt in 2024 to attend the art academy in Tongeren again also failed, this time due to a broken foot that took eight months to heal. During my time there, the instructor mentioned that I didn’t really need to learn anything new, but rather should focus on further developing my own personal styles. While I enjoyed my time at these academies, what I ultimately learned most was how to forge my own path.