Drained

Venus Jasper Griepink received a contribution to develop Drained: an interdisciplinary project consisting of a physically impressive multi-media installation that draws the visitor into a deep pool of personal reflections on childhood (trauma), identity, neurodiversity and the pre-Roman culture of the Netherlands. The work consists of a series of sculptures made of building materials, ceramics, laboratory and agricultural equipment incorporated into a total installation. Small LCD screens and aquariums with living algae and aquatic organisms show images of marshes in North Brabant, mixed with archive footage of Celtic excavations and Turfstekers in the Netherlands, mixed with close-ups of aquatic organisms through microscopes. A voice-over narrates the reflections of non-recognition in nature and in human psyché.

Venus Jasper is a visual artist, musician, storyteller, worldbuilder, writer and curator. His visual work often consists of participatory performances in multi-sensory installations filled with handmade details, drawings, sculptures, smells and sounds. Venus likes to work as a speculative nature priest immersing his audience in immersive and transformative experiences around ecological issues, queerness, identity, community and spirituality. Through ritual gatherings, texts and installations, Jasper aims to create more space for kinship and connection with each other and the natural world. Jasper graduated from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam in 2013.