A Dutchman in Los Angeles
Bas Louter is a Dutchman in Los Angeles.
Shinehead was a Jamaican in New York, but Bas is a Dutchman and he lives and works in LA. I like Bas’ artwork. I can’t explain why, but it feels very LA. I’m not sure if it’s the dusky, desert-muted colors that bring to mind a John Fante novel, or the fact that… Actually, that’s probably it. I had a chat with Bas about his Dutch roots, his romance with The City of Angels, and also how the Dutch word for carrot is ‘Wortel’.
Bas, where are you from and how did you end up in LA?
I am from a city called Alkmaar about 20 miles North of Amsterdam.
What is Alkmaar famous for?
Well, the city is only a little known for the location where the victory against Spain started in 1573, which was a major turning point in a very long war.
When did you move to Amsterdam?
I moved to Amsterdam around 1991 to attend an academy; a first-grade teacher degree in painting, drawing and art history. At the academy was a strong emphasis on the process, I experimented with charcoal, collaging, and different printing techniques.
Did you have a job while you were at school?
Yes. During this time I started to work at a record store in Amsterdam, this is when I started to collect vinyl as everybody was getting rid of records and changing up to CDs. It was an interesting time, I was able to buy fantastic records for just a couple of bucks. I started to go to see a lot of concerts at The Paradiso and The Melkweg. My appetite for new music has always been there and has been informative to my work. It is a parallel. I like to explore and find new things. It never really stops.
How did you end up in Los Angeles?
Around 2005, I received my first invitations to exhibit at galleries in L.A., and on one of these visits, I met my wife at a party. I fell in love with her and I also fully embraced Los Angeles. We got married in 2012 and our son was born in 2016.
That’s so cool!
Yeah, it all has been a big adventure!
Did L.A. change your artistic output?
L.A. has changed my work aesthetically, but also living here allowed me to search for new techniques as older approaches were starting to feel repetitive.
Right.
The spine of my work is my archive of images, I always return to my collection of photos to start new work. I constantly test the images by making small collages. I print, spray paint, collage, reprint and keep reassembling until a work falls together like a puzzle. It is a very free way of working; there are hardly any restrictions. Chance and my subconscious are present in the process and there is plenty of room for error. Eventually, the images and topics of the smaller works will find their way into the larger canvases, which tend to be more focused and strict.
Your artwork is very dope but also rad.
Well, Jason, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it.
You’re welcome. How would you describe what you do?
Well, around 2014 I started to make my first transfer prints which resulted in a series of black and white works of strange-looking cars. People often like these works as they are objects that look familiar at a first glance. The imagery I used for these works are mostly glossy images of concept cars from the past, the vehicles were designed for the single purpose of impressing the public and were mostly manufactured without any form of engine. What is important to me is to let that imagery go through the different transfer and collaging processes, the images warped completely, and as I had little experience with the transfer process the works became very scruffy. It made the cars appear mechanically flawed and unruly, not out of a glossy context at all!
Right on.
That moment in the process when things go slightly different than planned, that is my thing, you have to move with it and find new solutions, and along this route you will pick up more technique and growth. The wear and tear is still of importance in my more recent work, although lighter in feel and appearance, as I am now more experienced with the transfer technique. These works are hybrids; floating fragments taken from different sources. With each individual work, I am trying to find the right balance between all the small bits. It is the white of the raw canvas that keeps everything together here, I try to reach the point where the eyes keep on moving over the canvas without getting stuck, it is a tiny frozen moment that occurs before things are about to fall apart or explode.
Have you always been an artist?
I think so. I just didn’t realize it at a very young age, and as I am not from an artistic family, it took me some time to figure that out and find the right tools. I believe in the do-it-yourself method and most cultural or subcultural things that have my interest were made that way; from scratch without too many resources. I will always love late 80s rap for that same reason, things appear to be very basic and minimal but to a great effect. My philosophy is that you can always make new work, just start with the things around you, no need to buy expensive equipment, It is just a way to keep the process open and not to get lost or slowed down by the technical complications of art production.
What are five things you miss from Northern Holland?
I’ve been living in L.A. for about 12 years now and I miss my friends and family and sometimes the Dutch food—especially the Indonesian food.
Indonesian food?
Yeah, Indonesian food is a big part of Dutch culture. I also miss driving my bicycle through Amsterdam, and the pragmatic style of living. It is simple and fun, no car needed.
What do you miss about LA when you visit home?
The space and the access to the outdoors. The wildlife… The downtown skyline, sunsets, the cacti in our yard, our Mexican neighbors, the amazing food, the Museums and galleries, the ocean, Joshua Tree, old Art Deco in Downtown… L.A. is the bomb.
It’s is good. Now, last question: When the Dutch artist Ans Wortel said ‘Zoals de dag de nacht verdrijft, verdrijft verwachting het verdriet.’ I thought, yeah, that’s about right actually. What do you think?
Hey, that is funny her name sounded familiar but I had no idea she was from Alkmaar!
I know! That’s why I brought her up!
Wortel means ‘carrot’ in Dutch by the way.
That I didn’t know.
There is a generation of artists from the region I grew up in that made poetic works. I really like some of Luceberts paintings and his old studio is currently used as a residency for young artists
Sorry, could you say that again in Dutch?
Hey dat is grappig, haar naam klonk bekend maar ik had geen idee dat ze uit Alkmaar kwam. Er was een generatie van kunstenaars actief in de regio waar ik opgroeide en ik vind sommige werken van Lucebert erg mooi. Zijn oude studio functioneert tegenwoordig als residentie voor jonge kunstenaars.
What’s next for you, Bas Louter?
There is a solo exhibition in the works but I can’t say much about it yet; first I will have to take another deep dive into the studio, which is my absolute favorite place to be!
