Hogema, Jan

Netherlands (1964)

Visual artist

Jan Hogema studied visual communication at the Art Academy in Den Bosch. For 25 years, he worked as an independent graphic designer, while also producing free work. Hogema now devotes himself entirely to his art.

At first glance, Hogema’s work has something serene and dark. The images he creates are characterised by clear lines and a powerful, graphic look, but are almost always anonymised in some way. Hogema wants his art to tell a universal story and break free from the personal. The mysticism and alienation this evokes (what am I looking at, what do I think of this?) is typical of his work. It produces iconic images.

His works focus on the search for identity and its degradation; they often depict an inner struggle between mental freedom and imprisonment. Hogema shows that there is beauty in suffering too: suffering is inseparable from life and stems from deeper feelings such as hope, longing and love. In Hogema’s art, these different layers often rub a little; just as they do in life. With his work, he wants to move the mind and challenge it to introspection.

Hogema is familiar with a wide variety of techniques and materials. He uses photography, screen printing and print, among others, and also chooses different carriers, such as dibond, aluminium, wood, fabric and linen.