Daan Botlek

"Man is the measure of all things" is the famous statement of Greek sophist Protagoras (490-420 BC). When I first learned about this phrase, it had a big impact on me and it would eventually become the main motif of my art. Most of my works are based on the notion that each individual is the standard of what is true to itself. So, man became my measure for creating art: a game of relativism, proportions and curiosity. In order to play this game, I had to break with my past work and start from scratch (see Tabula Rasa). From now on the focus was on developing ideas and concepts; the main subject to play with was the naked human body. I needed to go minimalist in style and subject in order to get to the bare essence of an image."Many of my works have been made in the tradition of visual narrative. They tell a story; most of them as a moment in an ongoing story and some as a sequence of events unfolding over time. The main characters, concepts and environments are constructed by and at play with the laws of geometry and physics. The meaning of the works is never clear or explained. There is an infinite number of interpretations for the images, any one of which may be considered valid. The audience is challenged to participate in the creation of the story; meaning is generated in the process of sharing diverse ideas.