Casper Faassen

In the works of the Dutch artist Casper Faassen (*1975, NL)  the juxtaposition between the eternal and the temporal, beauty and decay, is the main theme. Over time, Faassen has begun to incorporate Japanese philosophies into his work, such as ‘mono no aware’, a slightly melancholic feeling when one realises that all things pass. Also in his series ‘ReCollection’, the appreciation of impermanence and imperfection can be spotted. Such as the veiled images of the photographed breakable objects, disappearing into the background. The use of gold in the cracks on the top layer of the works, the ‘craquelure’, refers to kintsugi, to the beauty that comes with age and the beauty of imperfection.

Faassen grew up in Leiden. It was there that he developed his passion for drawing, painting and art. Famous Leiden masters – Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), Jan Steen (1625-1679) and Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) – were his inspiration. After leaving high school Faassen studied at the University of Amsterdam. He continued to pursue his artistic ambitions, painting daily and thus compiling an impressive oeuvre. 

Characteristic of Faassen’s works is his continued innovative utilisation of material, techniques and disciplines. In addition to painting and graphic art, Faassen devotes much of his time to the medium of photography. 

Faassen’s work has been exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions in Europe and beyond. He was awarded Talent of the Year in the Dutch national ‘Artist of the Year‘ competition in 2007. His work is acquired by both private and public collections such as Museum de Lakenhal, Leiden, Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Royal Library, The Hague, Haagsch Historisch Museum, The Hague. In 2019 Faassen won the ALPA Award at Photo Basel.