.png)
Reijnders travels as a collector of the ordinary to world cities to photograph “urban magic” while diving into different cultures. As a nomad of art he went to the most dangerous neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and captured it.
Once he was caught in the middle of a bullet rain and had to hide underneath cars. The tension and heavy energy in these areas are risky at times, but also provide edge and were very beneficial to his portfolio. According to Reijnders, you have to step out of your comfort zone to really grow and make an impact.
This is what really works for the artist himself. Nowadays Reijnders has exhibited in galleries and art shows in New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Berlin and Paris.
Reijnders’ oeuvre emerges from action: the simple act of ripping posters off walls in different cities during the night, which he later uses as the base for his artwork. He processes these thick layers of curled paper by chopping and burning them.
His work contains a lot of contrast: the ripped pieces of billboards combined with youthful themes and a smooth, lush finish. Reijnders invites us to “undress our adulthood” and rationale to enjoy the beauty that emerges from his images. By decontextualizing these pieces of reality and adding new urban images, pop culture, and mass consumption items in them.
This is how Reijnders sees art as an action more than a narrative. He calls it the magic of the studio: things you can’t predict happen there, it’s just like a laboratory.
Reijnders is not just observing. On the contrary, as a force of nature, he wants to be part of the world, understand it in its full complexity and, preferably change it. Therefore his works tell stories. However, they are not meant as propaganda.
In these unfinished stories, the artist leaves all the space for interpretation. In our post “truth world”, questions arise exponentially, nothing is sure anymore. Can we still believe anything? Reijnders’ artworks bring images that intrigue, provoke and try to guide you through a jungle of joy.
He does not intend to preach a new gospel; he enjoys more being a playful bridge between worlds. Showing moments, situations and lives that are revealing, not selling. Bringing together, more than trying to convince. His snapshots of reality are, therefore, never complete without the viewer. Let’s cut the blah, blah! Enjoy the art!
