EXPO Jef van Gestel

Jef van Gestel

Jef van Gestel (1981) is a performer director and visual artist He was born and raised in Antwerp and lives in Amsterdam since 2021 Jef s visual work is colorful intuitive illustrative and emotional Exuberant imaginative and playful other times tender sometimes with hints of desperation.

His work is funny stupid endearing and a bit uncomfortable in a teasing way. He is fascinated by the vulnerability of people naive and childlike ways to express yourself and tenderness and failure. He is looking for ultimate freedom in creating driven by intuition and exploring obscurity.

At the expo you also can visit the immersive installation Battle for a cookie work in progress Armed with a nude colourful doll hanging on your body you enter a space that depicts a bright darkroom a battle for a cookie a landscape with balls and waterfalls Jef Van gestel s theater work is like a mental playground where the viewer is left free in his associations.

His performances are physical and visual have a playful character are sensitive peppered with absurd humor and push boundaries Alienating poetry and an untamed fantasy are characteristic of his style His work often has similarities with Dadaism Antonin Artaud and contemporary visual art. Usually starting from a thematic concept or a formal idea he creates performances from scratch