About the author
In this 2-piece article, I’m going to introduce you to one of the most ‘real’ people I’ve ever met. Remember back in 2007, when Damien Hirst revealed For the Love of God, a cast of a human skull covered completely in diamonds? Yes? Good! Now, remember when a different artist made the same skull, but then covered it completely in yellow candy, naming it ‘For the Love of Candy’? Ladies and gentleman, I proudly present: ROYALSTEEZ.
I love doing things that aren’t allowed.
Let’s start with giving the readers an idea of your style, or should I say ‘steez’? Your work is known to be very in your face and confronting. What triggers you when working on your projects?
“Teasing people is what I enjoy, pushing their buttons. I love doing things that aren’t allowed. People’s reactions are my source of energy in a way; it’s what keeps me going. Confronting the public has even led to people destroying some of my work. A friend once described my style: “It makes me laugh so hard, but at the same time I’m getting slapped across the back of my head.” I don’t take my work seriously, but I’m serious in what I do. I try to find the subtleness in provocation. At one point I figured that it didn’t matter one bit what I made, it might as well be some rubber dicks coming out of birdhouses. So I did, and that’s how my work Cockadoodles was born.”
Would you say you were a bit of a bully while growing up?
“Growing up in Amsterdam, my parents didn’t have a lot of money. I wore glasses, I had braces, curly hair, freckles and I was clumsy. I had to be a smart-ass and I had to beat another kid up once in a while to be accepted. But this is something I’ve learned to value a lot. I was the first one with a skateboard at school, one of the first kids spraying graffiti and I put ketchup on everything. I’ve never been a follower, the idea of being a pioneer excites me and keeps me motivated.”
Do you have any favourite pieces or certain things you’ve done that have a strong emotional value?
“The crucifix with the music box is something I still have fun with and enjoy showing people. It has everything to do with teasing people, but there are so many layers to it. Seeing someone cry while looking at it is one of the biggest compliments. Sometimes I get so frustrated about things happening in this world that I have to make something. I want to provoke to get my point across; make people feel something deep in their stomach. I once made a documentary about the penis; people can’t handle it, it’s too much. But doing things like this reveals someone’s true colours.”
I might poke you a little bit, but I won’t hurt you.
Is there anything you do take seriously in life?
“My family, my friends and my health. I’m not ready to die yet; I’m having far too much fun. That’s probably my biggest fear. Because then it just all stops, game over. I think it’s stupid when people say they’re not scared of death. What, are you not having a good time? You don’t think it’s cool here on earth?”
Give me one word to summarize your rebellious nature.
“Fuck.”
Next week we will bring you another dose of Royalsteez, presenting one of his latest pieces ‘Your Art Could Have Been Here’. And to get some more insight, I recommend you check out his Pecha Kucha talk. Stay tuned!
Photos by Sabrina Beek
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