RICHARD VAN KRUYSDIJK

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"I seek to continuously challenge myself to find the most powerful way of expression within an ever growing range of disciplines. As a musician, I don’t feel bound to one particular instrument, and as a visual artist I don’t feel confined to one particular discipline. Although most of my work is musical, I have always felt it was just one way of expressing myself. 

For me, creating art is another way of thinking, feeling and being that brings forth the most pure and free state of existence. By adopting many different masks, I make myself less important than the persona that I choose to inhabit with each creative effort. This alter ego thus can become an integral part of the work itself. It is as much a visceral, as it is a spiritual experience, and when executed with authenticity and honesty, it is the most powerful and profound way to connect with people on a subconscious and intuitive level. I believe that this is where a true connection is established and meaningful communication happens. To reveal these treasures, art should surpass fashionable topics and must be unapologetic. It's not an artist’s job to offer elaborate explanations, it’s up to the listener / viewer to discover that which lies hidden in the work. 

In order to offer the biggest, most inclusive invitation into a work of art, I want to create something that is divorced from any didactic, moral, political, or utilitarian function, but which appeals to the artistic and aesthetic sense of the eyes and/or the ears. Which means not just “l’art pour l’art”, since I don’t strive to eliminate my personality from my creations, but I would call it “l’art pour l’âme” (“art for the soul”). Art does not always need 'stories', and is certainly not obliged to offer 'solutions', but it does need fearlessness and a sense of personal urgency. It needs belief in its ingrained force."

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Dutch multimedia artist Richard van Kruysdijk adopts many masks as a means of infiltrating and subsequently subverting a wide range of art disciplines. The headline of Richard’s first interview, when he graduated (with honorable mention) from the Royal Academy of Art in ‘s-Hertogenbosch said: “No difference between a guitar and a paint brush”. Richard always switched between, and combined several disciplines. Rooted in counterculture, mostly creating highly personal, purely intuitive work that goes against the grain, Richard ’s aesthetic in sound and image is refined with each new project.

At the arts academy, he explored painting, photography, and graduated with a short 16mm film which was shown in several theatres and at the Dutch Film Days, Utrecht (NL). During his last year at the academy, he signed his first record contract after a solo concert in Paradiso, Amsterdam. That marked the start of many releases (see DISCOGRAPHY), tours and musical collaborations.

In the last decade, his musical work extended largely into the field of compositions for modern dance companies (Scapino Ballet, Balletto di Roma, CCN Ballet de Lorraine, Burning Bridges, Hessisches Staats Ballett etc.)

He simultaneously kept working as a graphic artist, and created videos and collages, and is currently working on hybrid forms of multimedia installation art and live performance: solo as Epic Rick, and as a duo with Ate Jan van Kampen.

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An experienced producer with a distinct handwriting, known for his electronica / sound design and music production skills, Richard's musical work can be heard on many releases and on stage in a broad range of international venues: From alternative pop clubs throughout Europe to avantgarde festivals (Sonic Acts) and festivals for modern composed music (November Music; Minimal Music Festival). From museums (Museum De Pont, Tilburg; Biënnale Venice) to prestigious theaters (Schouwburg Amsterdam; The Royal Opera House, Londen).

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In 2019, he started MASS production: a new foundation through which he will develop his autonomous multimedia works and initiate new collaborations.

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Download Biography (PDF)

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