Jochem Mestriner on Painting as Research, Plant Consciousness, and the Scala Naturae
In a conversation with Mister Motley, Dutch artist Jochem Mestriner elaborates on the impact of nature, consciousness, and art history on his intricate canvases. His three-year exploration has focused on various creatures, including animals, insects, and notably the sundew, which he describes as 'attraction machines.' His piece C-14 Second Sleep (2026) for diez gallery in Amsterdam links the scala naturae to bog bodies and Zen Buddhist jisei. Mestriner references David Joselit's essay regarding performativity in painting and draws creative influence from Léon Spilliaert and Carel de Nerée tot Babberich. This interview aligns with the 60th anniversary of the Buning Brongers Prijzen, which honors emerging artists, with the award ceremony scheduled for Friday, 13 November at Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam.
Key facts
- Jochem Mestriner's painting C-14 Second Sleep (2026) was made for an exhibition at diez gallery in Amsterdam about sleep and bog bodies
- Mestriner draws on the scala naturae, the ancient Greek ladder of being traced to Aristotle, in which plants are living but not awake due to insufficient pneuma
- He cites David Joselit's essay Marking, Scoring, Storing, and Speculating (on Time) and its concept of painting as a 'time battery'
- Nightwood (2026) takes its title from Djuna Barnes's novel and was inspired by Carel de Nerée tot Babberich's drawings for Louis Couperus's Extaze
- Mestriner uses oil, oil stick, oil pastel, colour pencil, charcoal, acrylic, copper pigments, and synthetic paper across his canvases
- The Buning Brongers Prijs is awarded every two years by the Buning Brongers Stichting from the estate of Johan Buning and his family
- The prize marks 60 years in 2025, has been awarded to 174 artists since 1966, and carries €4,500 per winner
- The award ceremony and exhibition opening for six winners take place Friday 13 November at Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam, preceded by a talk at Spui 25
Entities
Artists
- Jochem Mestriner
- Marieke van Ringelesteijn
- Léon Spilliaert
- David Joselit
- Djuna Barnes
- Carel de Nerée tot Babberich
- Louis Couperus
- Aubrey Beardsley
- Aristotle
- Johan Buning
- Hans den Hartog Jager
- Heske ten Cate
- Dineke Blom
- Ricardo van Eyk
- Robert Zandvliet
- Pelumi Adejumo
Institutions
- Mister Motley
- diez gallery
- Buning Brongers Stichting
- Arti et Amicitiae
- Spui 25
- Dinamo
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Greece