Stop making promises if I am not sure I can make them happen? Are people as forgetful as I am? I read my own old blog. And I see promises I made: I was going to make the Café Solo Journal. And I never did. But wait… I can still make it… Cause it’s never too late?
Still In Process
Back in the days in Frankfurt, during the Staedelschule years, I had a work called Welcome to the Real World that consisted of a glass vitrine displaying toys for children that had an aspect of "customisation" or "excavation"—any toy that gave the idea that the child is independently "discovering" or creating something, even if it's a staged situation (for example, excavating dinosaur skeletons in a piece of crumbling clay, or finding gemstones). I was fascinated by German stores like DM, Haussmann, etc. I spent hours in the toy section, analysing what we sell to children and how we advertised extremely genderised merchandise. I think I might one day go back to this project, which back then was overshadowed by a depressive state of mind and reclusion that made me unable to properly express my feelings around it. Sometimes I wish I had gone to this school at a later age.
In one of the toys where one can extract a gemstone in a clay slab, I retraced drawings from my diary of when I was 10 - 12 years old, pages where my darkest secrets where hidden between glued pages.
Workshop Thoughts
A group of 15 kids, aged around 10. Very difficult museum visit last week. Jiggly, giggly, wiggly, jittery legs and never stopping mouth, whispering and talking during the explanations. For many, they can be seen as disrespectful, naughty, bad. But honestly, at that age, I seriously don’t believe in bad children.
Today during the workshop, the same ones were jittery, jiggly legged. But i saw things they were capable of during the first game. They can be focused. They enjoy the class challenge so they enjoy achieving a goal together. It’s not a jiggly room where egos and alpha feelings come at play, where bullying and teasing is present. it’s actually just deep friendship and need for intimacy and interaction woth eachother.
I had to spread the jittery legged and mouth group, because despite their tight friendship, their current attitude unfortunately troubled the group dynamic.
Instead of putting them simply apart, creating distance and resentment, i invited 2 of them next to me, to become my colleague. That creates connection and a bond, that eventually will benefit not just the group, but also the 2 of them. After 2 rounds of assisting me woth showing images, helping me count, i thanked them, and invited their 2 other friends to become my new colleague.
Instead of dreading to be put apart, the 2 new colleagues were eager to come assist me, jumping up their seat to come sit next to me. Not only do they enjoy the attention they receive, but they feel responsible. For the more shy kids, when i need their assistance, I will ask what they want me to assist with, because otherwise there is no use to putting them in the center of attention - it will make them awkward and and all they will think of is that awkwardness. i will ask more help like distributing papers, helping me check the time etc.
Eventually it worked so well, that the second part of the workshop, the drawing, was a true delight.
Normally there is a theatre game, but because the first part took a lot of time. The first part is meant to unconsciously teach the kids 3 terms:
• Abstract art
• Realism
• Surrealism
And, to install a flow in the group, so that the drawing part goes well. It’s so important to warm up well for anything art related.
Anyways. Each time I end this workshop, I feel an intense feeling of fulfilment, hope and content. Like, a feeling of “the kids will be all right”.
I am also proud to be doing this workshop for 3 years now, and I praise my adaptive workflow, flexibility and capacity to remain calm. I never shout during this workshop. It took years for me to get to this point. So i am grateful that I am able to do this workshop.
TABF
NEW MIX
Hi everyone, my mix is available to listen to now!
Sunday 08 March 2026
22:00 CET ~ tune in on 91.8FM or livestream www.radiox.de/ @radioxfrankfurt
About the mix: “Huge throwback my the 2010-tumblr-mp3player-digital mystikz-dour-with-no smartphone-teenager-dubstep&dub-era. all the pictures in this post are from 2008-2012…. my early art years and tumblr days…
I was inspired to make this mix after learning about the history of Dub music. made me dive back into my own music library.
The songs i selected are more the ones that preceded the following huge wave of wobble dubstep, brostep, drumstep and what other things that started to evolve out of it.
For the mix I selected more of the melodic, warm, hopefull and dreamy dubstep and dub that was lowkey the foundation for my music catalogue later on. I still listen back to this songs on a yearly basis. I actually don’t have a huuuge music repertoire like many do, i have a quite small selection that I listen again and again lol
Many songs in dub/step sample voices from movies or songs questioning society & reality. The sort of philosophical aspect of thise were really intriguing me as a teenager.
The darkness that dubstep carried while being at the same time such a physical experience when listening at a party was what attracted me a lot I think. the bass on the subwoofers blowing you away in a slow tempo. And then the melodious voices flowing on top. i was a proud bass ho
Last song is Anti War Dub by @maladmz @maladmz because seriously f*ck the war and imperialism striking once again. As a teen i was dreaming for justice and it’s a bit saddening to look back 15 years ago and realise the violence is still so intense. But tbh I actually I am not dissapointed cause i lowkey always knew it would turn out like this 🥲 But we keep going gang…we keep going #dubstep”
SETLIST:
Shackleton – Blood on My Hands (2006)
Congi – Somnium (2012)
Mala – Alicia (2012)
J:Kenzo – Cosmo (2010)
Burial & Four Tet – Nova (2012)
Fluxy – Don’t Care
Kromestar – Hungry Dub (2007)
Quest & Silkie – Shirt and Tie (2007)
Late – Losing You (2009)
Phaeleh – Afterglow (2010)
Mala – Noche Sueños (2012)
Distance – Numan (2007)
Kromestar – Say Yes (2010)
Ruckspin & Quark – Sunshine (2010)
Submotion Orchestra – Suffer Not (2011)
Chromeo – Night by Night (Skream Remix) (2009)
Digital Mystikz – Anti War Dub (2006)
RED LEAF
The urge to print
I have a growing urge to have everything printed. I want to make a book from my 1567 instagram posts. Many have done it before. I shall go radical. Print it, with comments and captions seperately but still somewhere included. Likes aswell. To see how it all got to where we are today. Today I am writing again here. After re-deleting this stupid Instagram. That shit makes me HOOKED. I don't get how people can live with it without restricting themselves? That takes a huge discipline. I can't. I only look at it during weekends. Otherwise my life goes wasted to it. I want to build my own image archive. That I can touch with my fingertips, the back of books, the spines, ASMR, not through a screen for gods sake. Here are some postcards I printed for the taipei artbook fair. Prints of drawings (digital collages) that have NEVER seen the light outside of a screen. Welcome to the world.
Zhuhai — Hong Kong
Some shots on Phoenix film on the bus from Zhuhai to Hong Kong. The mist took over the landscape. A mix of lush deep green hills and fast pace cars and trucks passing in front. A bridge fading into white nothingness.
Trace
I witnessed something going to for the second time in this temple, carved in the mountains cheek. I can’t explain it all yet. But while being mesmerized by the waterfall carving the front flank, an deafening noise through the valley, weakens my entire body. I see my life passing by, and the worlds.
With trembling legs I stumble down, while the dark sets.
Sonic Playground • Soundwalk
PARIS - BRUSSELS [JAN 2025]
Un père et sa fille font le même trajet qu’on a fait des centaines de fois. Même si je n’ai plus autant de tendresse pour le passé, que les plaies se sont réparées et re-défaites, commes des noeuds de chaussures pas assez serrés. Quand même je reste emue a voire une tafereel qui ressemble la notre d’auparavant. Je trouve que dans les nouveau trains, les Ouigo, il y a plus de contact social que dans le Thalys. Qui n’est maintenant même plus — c’est devenu Eurostar. A nos coté passent des paysages éphémèrement blanc. Tout le monde et pour toujours sera tout autant enchanté quand la neige tombe ici. Ceci se fait de plus en plus rarement d’ailleurs.
Taiwan by Jasper Tielens
I scanned and put together my favourite photos that Jasper took on our trip in Taiwan. I love to see his point of view.
ai will be source of implosion of digital consumption . soon we will massively throw away our screens. because soon Temu leggings and stickers will be AI prints of variety of dogs smoking a pipe that no human has drawn or photographed- only prompted. even magazines will die. was this column truly written by open ai or another machine? the constant doubt will be fuel. but before there must be a total downfall. a divorce between an AI and a human that turned into a courtcase. « my AI wife cheated on me with her AI fitness trainer »
we will as a consumer, drown in rendered imagery so much that we will ho back to texture, the tactile and olfactory. digging deep for what can not yet be manufactured with the bat of an eye. this is the implosion of capitalism fisher was talking about. there will be an implosion of consumption first, and then we will throw up our organs.
Wired
While I was designing my new business cards, I realised both of them where depicting humans hanging onto wires. Will upload these images later. In the late evening in my hotel room, this spiral of thoughts about being connected and my obessiob with drawing electrical wires, motherboards circuits and their relation with nature and human, turned into this 3 words, WIRED, TIRED & FIRED
HK & MACAU
RESIDENTIE BLOG
I don't have the time But I have all the time Of the World Right Now
Residency Pianofabriek
Maily Beyrens Monday Mourning Residenties 01.09 > 05.09.2025 Tijdens hun residentie in Pianofabriek zal YLÏAM onderzoeken hoe verdriet hun recente werk heeft beïnvloed, en hoe dit een brug kan vormen tussen het visuele en het sonische aspect van hun artistieke praktijk.
“Na een groot verlies werden traditionele boeddhistische gebeden en persoonlijke mooie herinneringen omgezet in korte pop-punkliedjes met repetitieve mantra’s. Teksten, gedichten, grappen en loops werden niet alleen gezongen, maar ook geschreven en getekend, als een monnik, herhaaldelijk. Deze werden vervolgens beelden, en vice versa. Terwijl ik alleen zong, merkte ik hoe verdriet hier vaak een geïsoleerde ervaring is. Hoe kan deze eenzame praktijk van rouwen gedeeld worden, misschien ook een beetje grappig, of gewoon anders ervaren dan we nu gewend zijn?”
Binnen de muren van het drukke culturele centrum van Brussel hoopt YLÏAM verhalen en ervaringen te ontmoeten rond verschillende rouwervaringen in Pianofabriek en omgeving voor het proces van hun nieuwe creatie. Ze zullen momenten organiseren voor ontmoetingen, formeel en informeel, rond hun werk en het onderwerp van alternatieve rouwrituelen.
Er zal ook een openbare enquête worden gelanceerd via hun zelfpublicatieplatform COMPLEX BUSINESS, waardoor het onderzoek buiten de muren van de residentie wordt uitgebreid.
De residentie is georganiseerd en ondersteund door de NWNM (Nomadische Werkplaats voor Nieuwe Meesters). Dit is een residentieprogramma dat zich volledig wijdt aan de (individuele) kunstenaar, diens praktijk en (ontwikkelings-)noden. Met de artiesten als het kompas verloopt elke residentie op basis van de persoonlijke behoeften, zodat er telkens een gepaste ondersteuning gegarandeerd is. Of het nu werken op een open veld, in een black box of ergens tussenin is: NWNM stimuleert en koestert nauwgezet het potentieel van de kunstenaar.
Shanghai Speed Print
2024
