Cornel Bierens, born in 1949, is both a visual artist and a writer. He obtained a degree in clinical psychology from Utrecht University and studied art at the Artibus Academy in Utrecht (now known as HKU, he dropped out prematurely) and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam (also dropping out prematurely).
Bierens’ artistic development has evolved from being a painter and draftsman to a creator of large installations, often utilizing techniques such as anamorphosis and mosaic. he is assisted by a rotating team of collaborators, with Dick and Margo van Berkum being the permanent members.
He has published art criticism and columns in various publications, including Metropolis M, NRC-Handelsblad, De Witte Raaf, De Groene Amsterdammer, and Het Financieele Dagblad. He has also written fiction, often with visual art as its theme, including “Schildpad met Roos en Mes,” a young adult novel. His most recent book is “De handgezaagde ziel,” exploring the revival of craftsmanship in art and its surroundings.
Over the years, he has been a guest lecturer at nearly every Dutch academy for visual arts, and has held long-term teaching positions at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, the Academy for Popular Culture in Leeuwarden, the Free Academy/Gemak in The Hague, and the Design Academy Eindhoven. He was a member of the jury for the Witteveen+Bos Art and Technology Prize from 2001 to 2008. In 2015 and 2016, he curated three exhibitions on Vincent van Gogh with contemporary artists, respectively at Arti en Reuten in Amsterdam (two-dimensional) and at MOTI in Breda (three-dimensional).
www.ftn-books.com has now the Mondriaan Fonds publication available.
