PETER FOESTERS | AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH
PETER FOESTERS
ISRAELI ART MARKET | GROUP EXHIBITION
BY ARIEL SU

Belgium Artist Peter Foesters, (B. 1968) works in a unique technique and creates Contemporary Urban Abstract with a third dimension. Depth is significant to him, and he expresses it in combination with bright flow colors. That is his trademark. He wants to show the beauty of destruction. Foesters sees a certain beauty in all ugliness.
The artist mainly gets inspiration from music, lyrics, urban architectural buildings, and landscapes. Artists like Klein, Hockney, Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Basquiat have significantly influenced his work and inspired him.

Peter Foesters’ work is now on display in the Israeli Art Market online gallery, presented and available for purchase at the 2022 New Year BIG Group Exhibition.

Art Market Magazine: Dear Peter, Following the display of your artwork at the Israeli Art Market Gallery at the current 2022 New Year Group Exhibition, we’ve discovered your exciting and unique art. You create beautiful new dimensions, almost living and dynamic artworks based on a fascinating and sophisticated technique.
Let’s start from the beginning. What was your journey in the art world? How did you become an artist?

PETER FOESTERS: Thank you! It’s a pleasure having this interview. My journey in the art field started with my studies in Genk, an art school, from 1985 until 1992, which led me to a deep interest in modern art. This interest increased constantly, and I have practiced different art forms since then. In the 90’s I mainly focused on expressing film scenes on canvas, and later on, I moved to focus primarily on Abstract art. I’m continuously exploring creating abstract art through the third dimension for giving whole new meaning to depth combined with variant colors and forms.

Art Market Magazine: Your art is in a very ‘Clean’ design line. The colors are bright and gradient into each other on a third-dimensional surface. Where does the inspiration come from? What led you to your current style?

PETER FOESTERS: I love the straight line; the sharp style in my work is essential to me. I get my inspiration mostly from music and lyrics of 80’s bands like Joy Division and The The. A song title brings an image into my head, and I try to express it in my work. Modern architecture, urban design, and buildings are also vital sources of inspiration.
I try not to repeat myself in technique and shape, and I constantly try to invent new creative styles. As a result, I’m never satisfied with completing my work; I usually think about the next one while working on one artwork. That can be frustrating sometimes, but it does help me to keep an open mind.
For me, a good idea is more important than the “perfect” execution.

Art Market Magazine: Which artists influenced your artistic style and point of view?

PETER FOESTERS: My primary influence comes from artists like Hockney, Warhol, Klein, Rosenquist, and Basquiat.

Art Market Magazine: Tell us about the workflow and the technique behind your work. Are you using 2/3D programs for creating the premier model? What are your favorite materials?

PETER FOESTERS: I have been looking for the best way to create depth in my work for a long time. I have tried out several materials, but I never had a satisfying feeling about them. However, with polystyrene, I can translate my ideas onto a canvas in the best way. That extra dimension gives a totally different image of, for example, a city view. I see my own work as being relatively simple, but I think that is its strength. “Less is more.”

Art Market Magazine: You present your work for sale in various online galleries and exhibit at art fairs. Can you tell us a bit about where can we find your work in 2022?

PETER FOESTERS: Last year, I sold most of my works (about 50 pieces) to the Deji Art museum. Another exhibition is scheduled in their gallery this year. But I can’t share more about this at the moment. The global pandemic changing restrictions does not make it easy to organize an exhibition, but we will see what comes our way.

Art Market Magazine: At what point in your artistic journey have you started exhibiting internationally?

PETER FOESTERS: Actually, I have not exhibited much in recent years.
It is not easy to get into the galleries I would like to work with, and preparing an exhibition takes a lot of time, effort, and investment. Therefore, I always prefer to invest my time working on new artwork at my studio.

Art Market Magazine: Would you describe your work as a very ‘Contemporary Urban style’? Your work ‘Affected’ from 2019 gives a very rough sensation of concrete, with the association of urban space.

PETER FOESTERS: ‘Contemporary urban art’ may not be the correct name, but I have no problem with this description. However, I find it difficult to put a title and describe it through an ‘already known,’ common artistic style name. It is abstract, of course, but not abstract on the ordinary meaning. Instead, it’s Abstract with an extra dimension.

Art Market Magazine: How did the global pandemic quarantines affect your creativity since it started?

PETER FOESTERS: The pandemic has not had much effect on my work. If anything, I would say it had a positive impact, as I spent more time at the studio working and creating. The flooding in my country last summer had more influence on my work.
It was difficult for many people, and I tried to express that on canvas.

Art Market Magazine: Do you sell only original art or create limited editions prints or NFT?

PETER FOESTERS: Currently, I sell only original works of art and not prints or limited editions.
I find the whole story of the NFT very fascinating, but it is not something I want to put my time into at the moment.

Art Market Magazine: What is your wish for 2022?

PETER FOESTERS: After creating a series of small-size works, I would like to move to larger ones. To add more depth by using thicker materials. Just being able to keep doing what I am doing now is more than enough.

Read the full article in Art Market Magazine Issue #66