Flashback: Jasper van den Ende on his experience in Best of Graduates 2022

17.07.23

Jasper van den Ende (Best of Graduates 2022)

In light of the upcoming show Best of Graduates 2023, we asked a selection of BOG alumni a few questions regarding their experience with the annual show. Jasper van den Ende participated in Best of Graduates 2022.

Can you tell us something about your most special project after participating in Best of Graduates?

During the Lichtkunstfestival in Gouda in 2022, I had the opportunity to set up my first solo show. This was a challenging experience in which I darkened the entire exhibition space and was able to present my work Exposure Value ZER0̷ about ‘the overexposed city’ in optimal form to an extremely diverse audience. Using motion sensors, I created an interactive experience in which the visitor is guided through nighttime street scenes of London and Paris. The story, told through light boxes, spotlights, black text on a black wall, a book and a light table, brought together all the elements of my project and reached more than 500 visitors on a single evening. In total, the exhibition lasted a month from which I provided valuable insights and inspiration for further development of my work.

What is your most unforgettable memory of Best of Graduates?

Graduating has been a period of a lot of stress. After months of hard work, as a graduate you build toward a (for many) first big show. After this period of stress and deadlines, it was nice to be able to exhibit in a group exhibition where everyone has “already made it,” so to say. I experienced the Best of Graduates as a time when it was no longer about performing. Of course, there were several awards to be won but for me, and for many others, that felt like something extra. Everyone was already a winner and the work in the group exhibition was of high quality.

Can you tell us something about a future project? What can we expect to see soon?

An object that perhaps best represents my future work is the photographic gray card used to strike a neutral balance between light and dark. Next year I will travel to New York and Tokyo to capture the most overexposed places; one extreme. Then I continue my photographic exploration to underexposed places which literally means going to underdeveloped areas where there is little or even no nighttime lighting; the other extreme. The idea is that I explore two limits after which I will seek an artistic balance between light and dark to ultimately express this in a work of art.