Queer Art Hub recently had the exclusive opportunity to interview Dutch artist, Rik Versteeg, on his queer artist journey.
Read on to find out his story:
Born and raised in Drunen, Versteeg discovered his passion for art at a young age. Being brought up in safe surroundings and with a family who’s always accepted him for who he is, Versteeg had the space to develop his creativity as a queer artist. After graduation, Versteeg began his own studio in Rotterdam.
As a queer artist, Versteeg often found solace and empowerment in artistic expression. Using his creative journey as a platform for personal and collective transformation, he explores a multitude of mediums, from make-up, film, photography, and costume design. Versteeg pushes the boundaries of conventional artistic forms, transforming his work into an all-round practice. With each creation, he conveys the nuances of queer experiences, addressing themes of self-acceptance, identity, love, and the struggle for equality.
What is your artist journey? What led you to pursue art and your chosen medium?
When I was little I always had a big imagination and internal fantasy. Growing up with an uncle and a grandfather who are photographers I came in contact with photography at an early age. My grandfather always showed me and my sister, Dia, slides of trips with my grandma.
After a while, I decided to pursue photography and enrolled at Art Academy. During the academy, I mainly focused on fashion photography, but during graduation, I decided to graduate with a conceptual photography series. Since then, I have been working as an artist and photographer, creating autonomous series and commissioned work for other creatives and cultural institutes. Around 2018, I decided to also broaden my skills as a photographer by doing set design, make-up, and film as well. The main reason for this was that I wanted to be able to create pieces myself without the necessary help of others. Creating sets, pieces, and masks is now one of the most time-consuming parts of doing my art. But I’ve always loved to work with my hands and create things in real life.
What is the inspiration behind your creativity and how does your identity as a queer individual influence your artistic process?
My inspiration comes from a lot of different things: this can be a flower in the forest, a painting on the wall, or a person walking by. Inspiration is everywhere if you know how to look for it.
My autonomous projects are always made using an internal motivation to speak up about something and show people another way of approaching life and problems. This can be the environment, political crisis, the influence of social media, and AR.
Since I identify as queer, all of my projects therefore have a queer perspective. We as queer people are wired differently than the heteronormative society since our rights are not the same, and we experience discrimination almost every single day.
Through my work, I speak up about these struggles and show a queer perspective.
(Top row, from left to right): “A lady devoured, but not consumed” (2019), subject: Xiang Yu Yeung; “A love letter to fat bellies everywhere” (2019), subject: Roberto Angels; “Arcadia“, model: Manfattan, makeup: Sylvia Mercera, hair: Afif Shafit, designers: Studio Hiem, Studio Rik Versteeg, Afif Shafit
(Bottom row, from left to right): “Suspension” (2019); “Felt Cute Might Delete Later” (2022)
How do themes of queerness, identity, and representation show up in your art? Are there any specific messages or narratives you aim to convey?
I began to view my creative journey as a platform for personal and collective transformation. With each creation, I skillfully convey the nuances of queer experiences, addressing themes of self-acceptance, identity, love, and the struggle for equality.
At the core of my artistic vision is the celebration of queer identity. My works often feature diverse representations of queer individuals, breaking stereotypes and challenging societal constructs. By portraying a
spectrum of genders, sexualities, and expressions, I aim to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and spark conversations surrounding the complexities of queerness. I use my platform to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, foster inclusivity, and empower others to embrace their true selves.
How do you hope your work contributes to queer communities, inclusivity and representation within the art world?
I hope when people view my work they see themselves, represented in all various shapes, forms, gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities.
I want to show the queer community that they are beautiful, just the way they are, no matter what race, the color of their skin, body type, and mental health struggles.
By conveying their experiences as a queer person, and making them look fierce and HOT while doing so I want to amplify their voices, and also my voice.
By showing these kinds of works at exhibitions, articles, and fashion blogs people will see a different view on queer identities, than more documentary-style work.
Versteeg also recently released a new photo book, Mind Mirage, a serenade to his imagination. The glossy, 192-paged hardcover illuminates and sheds light on lingering darkness—a love letter to the beautiful and wicked thoughts passing through his mind. Nab a copy here!
You can find Rik’s links and socials here:
Website: www.rikversteeg.nl
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rikversteegphotography
Instagram: www.instagram.com/studiorikversteeg
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@studiorikversteeg
Each month, we will feature a queer artist in the disciplinaries of painting, sculpture, photography, music, and more, and a selection of their vibrant works and the stories behind them.