Amsterdam is home to remarkable artists, and Vrije Tijd Amsterdam loves to share their stories. Today, we ask artist Peter Vial a few questions.
By: Rik Verkaik
Would you like to introduce yourself first?
“My name is Peter Vial, I am a visual artist and live in Amsterdam. My studio is located in Weesp. I am self-taught and work in both two and three dimensions. In my work, I like to combine various materials and techniques. Curiosity and experimentation play an important role in this.”
How did you come to start making art?
“I started painting around the age of twenty-five. I don’t actually remember exactly what prompted it at the time, but De Stijl and its clear visual language were already an important source of inspiration back then. Due to personal circumstances, I stopped painting after a while. It wasn’t until much later, around my fiftieth birthday, that I picked it up again. From that moment on, it has essentially never left me, and I have continued to develop myself, moving from painting to three-dimensional work and combining all kinds of materials and techniques.”
Is there a space where you can be completely yourself to create artworks?
My studio is located above a garage in Weesp. For me, it is primarily a place that gives me the freedom and space to work on multiple projects simultaneously. If the process stalls for a moment on one work, I simply switch to something else. While I am working on one piece, ideas for another project, or even for something completely new, often suddenly emerge. In this way, the different works influence each other, and the creative process remains constantly in motion.
Which materials do you prefer working with?
“Actually, I don’t have one material I prefer working with. It is precisely the combination of different materials and techniques that I find interesting. I work with ceramics, glass mosaic, textiles, concrete, and paint, among other things. I also like to use existing or discarded objects. For instance, I have used old satellite dishes as a base for artworks, and I give vases from thrift stores a completely new look using textiles. I find it exciting to see what happens when you bring together materials that were originally not meant for each other at all. Often, that is precisely where something new emerges.”
Do you have a specific theme that you stick to throughout the process?
“I do not work from a single fixed theme. It actually always starts with the connection with myself and with my intuition. I try not to plan or fix everything in advance, but let a work emerge and change during the making process. At the same time, of course, I am not detached from what is happening around me. Societal developments sometimes find their way into my work naturally. Sustainability and reuse are examples of this. Occasionally, I also create work with a more political charge, because certain events in the world affect me and I want to respond to them as an artist.”
How do you look at art and what are your sources of inspiration?
“My motto is: ‘Watch with your gut, listen to your soul.’ That actually says a lot about how I look at art. For me, art doesn’t always need to be explained or fully understood. A work is allowed to touch you without you being able to pinpoint exactly why. That applies to both looking at art and creating it. My inspiration can come from anywhere. Architecture, geometric shapes, and street culture play a role, but so do a material, a found object, or something I happen to come across. Sometimes I see a shape or material and an idea arises almost immediately. Above all, I try to keep looking with an open mind.”
Are there also favorite movements in history that influence your work?
“De Stijl has been an important source of inspiration for me from the very beginning. I am particularly drawn to the geometry, the clear division of planes, and the interplay between line, form, and color. In my earlier paintings, that influence was sometimes quite directly visible. Over the years, it has become much freer. The geometry has remained, but I feel less and less of a need to adhere to fixed rules or principles. I use what appeals to me and give it my own twist. Perhaps it is precisely this development from control to more freedom and intuition that is characteristic of my work.”
Do you find Weesp a nice city as an artist?
“I live in the Bijlmer myself, but because my studio is located in Weesp, I have become quite connected to it. Over time, I have built up a decent network there and met various artists and other creative people. I find Weesp to be a pleasant place to work. At the same time, I actually like the combination: living amidst the dynamism and diversity of the Bijlmer and working in the somewhat smaller-scale environment of Weesp.”
Are you currently working on a project? If so, what is the underlying rationale?
At the moment, I am working a lot with textiles. I use existing vases and shapes as a starting point and combine them with fabrics. What began as an experiment with worn denim has since developed into vases, sculptures, and wall objects in which textiles play an increasingly important role.
The underlying idea is not so much that I want to establish a message beforehand. I am primarily investigating what happens when you take existing materials out of their original context and reconnect them. A discarded vase, a piece of fabric, or even a broken sculpture can thus become the beginning of something new.
In addition, I am preparing for a retrospective exhibition at Kunstkerk Muiden in 2027. It opens on February 5, exactly on the day I turn seventy. That seemed like a fitting moment to look back on my development as an artist, from my early paintings to the spatial and mixed-media work of today. At the same time, I especially want to show that a retrospective is not an endpoint for me. I am still curious about what comes next.”
Would you like to add anything yourself?
“Perhaps above all that I hope to remain curious. I am at an age where you might be expected to take things a bit easier, but that is not how it feels to me at all. I am still discovering new materials, techniques, and possibilities. I believe you are never too old to start something new or to reinvent yourself. In addition to my larger works, I also create smaller, affordable art objects that can make a special and original gift.”
About the author:
Rik Verkaik, founder of Vrije Tijd Amsterdam, has been writing about exhibitions, events, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, leisure, and social initiatives in Amsterdam for ten years.
