Born in 1993 in Zeist, The Netherlands Lives and works between Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Mallorca, Spain

The Leaving Surfaces is build out of existing objects and situations, detached from their previous function, but misplaced, reapplied and reused in search for unexpected and new phenomena. As an artist, Domas van Wijk, assumed the role of mediator, combining characteristics or behaviors that result from the interaction between consciously chosen materials until a very specific and intimate dialogue occurs.

As an (ex) graffiti artist, Domas van Wijk has always been fascinated by the idea of graffiti as a form of expression without boundaries and limitations. Observing how graffiti interlocks, overlaps on top of each other, with no respect for architectural boundaries and without much concern for the framework it is built upon. The layering of graffiti might be seen as a testimony of our collective history, and thus, by removing these layers, a new form of beauty can be revealed. Through a physical process of harvesting pieces of graffiti from public places, removing them from their stone backbones with a putty knife, the artist set up almost an archeological process of (re)engaging with collective history. After sanding them down, a range of colorful layers was revealed, like sediment that had naturally built up over the years, slices of history, an insight into the many stories that have been told and forgotten.

Thus through the process of excavation from three-dimensional space, of the pieces that were a pure expression of the collective history, the artist transformed those layers of paint into the abode of human consciousness. Like poetry written in the conjunctive past, an artefact of a modern-day subculture.