Jaco Putker
Jaco Putker (1971) is a contemporary artist and printmaker from The Hague, The Netherlands. He combines digital and traditional techniques to produce images which are both playful and sinister, nostalgic and magical.
Putker was awarded the Awagami Paper Factory Prize (at the Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition) twice; in 2015, and again in 2017.
In 2017 he won the ON PAPER International Printmaking Award 2017, and the Award of Excellence at the “Authentic Marks 2nd Annual International Miniature Printmaking Exhibition 2018” in Dubai. In 2021 he was awarded first prize at the Art Open 20x20 Miniprint Internacional Barcelona.
His work has been exhibited throughout Europe, as well as in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Argentina, Canada and the USA.
Could you tell us more about your background and how you began creating art?
As a child, I was always drawing and making things. But because art (and music) never played a role in my family, a career in the arts never seemed to be an option. And so I began my education in another field. However, after a couple of years, I put that on pause and decided I’d give myself a year to make work and put together a portfolio that would hopefully get me into art school. The plan worked, and I’ve not looked back since.
What does your art aim to say to its viewers?
My works are (quite literally) reconstructions of childhood memories, fleeting glimpses, misconstrued ideas, false impressions, and murky recollections. Through a very specific image, I try to depict a sort of general, or universal, idea of an event or memory many people can relate to. To tap into our shared experiences. But although my works tell stories, I am more interested in hearing the spectator’s associations and interpretations than dictating what to feel or think.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?
My process begins with looking at found images. Sometimes an image immediately tells me where it wants to be, or what it wants to be doing inside the reality of my work world. Other times I get a fully formed image in my head, and I have to go actively search for the right elements to complete the scene that I imagined. There is always a lot of trial and error involved, and I usually work on several pieces simultaneously, all of them exploring the same basic idea. This is why I often work in series. A finished work often sparks an idea for a new print, creating a sort of inspiration-loop.
I’m always looking for that moment when the whole image is greater than the sum of it’s parts. That’s when the image just ‘works’, and I know it is finished. I then print every edition by hand using the photopolymer etching technique.
What is the essential element in your art?
A sense of nostalgia, longing for simpler times, escapism and a little bit of humour
In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society?
I think creating is an essential part of us humans. Through play and experimentation, we continue to expand on what our predecessors have already cultivated. Every artist, like every cook, scientist or any other creator, is a cog in this huge wheel that keeps propelling this culture of ours forward.
