Our Pioneer in New York City: Kirwin Lonwijk

When given the choice between doing an internship or going on exchange to NYC, multidisciplinary artist and Willem de Kooning student Kirwin Lonwijk didn't have a hard choice to make. Having worked for clients from the Stedelijk Museum to The New Originals, the young talent has been further honing his skills at the School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan and soaking in the diversity of the city – "New York City feels like an amusement park. A Metropolitan City at its finest. Different architectures and communities will suck you in to their world. I feel like a spectator and I’m taking everything in and bringing it back to the Netherlands."

Through our Pioneers series, in collaboration with Nils Adriaans, we catch up with members of the Dutch Creative Community living abroad and ask them to send back personal ‘messages in a bottle’ about life away from the Netherlands.

How did you end up in NYC?

I’m now in NYC through an exchange program that my school (Willem de Kooning) had as an option. It was either this or an internship and I really felt like I wanted to leave Europe and broaden my horizons. I felt like I was going to get know myself better being alone in a foreign country. Now I’m studying film at School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan and next to that I’m just trying to connect with people from New York. See their lifestyles and point of views.

What makes you feel at home?

I’m staying with my Aunt and my 2 nephews in Queens Village. It’s a long trip from Manhattan to where I’m staying, but I love coming home and seeing that my aunt has cooked a Surinamese dish (When she’s not working). Eating something recognizable gives me a feeling of home. And if she hasn’t cooked I look for a Jamaican spot. Caribbean food is overal the same with some differences in how the food is prepared. So it will give you a similar experience. But next to food , it is people that can make me feel at home. The welcoming nature of my family, and people that I meet. Connecting with people on a personal level gives me the feeling of home. Because that’s where the people I have emotional attachment with are located.

What stands out the most there (professionally)?

What attracted me to go to New York is the diversity that it brings in forms of culture & art. People across the world come here for an opportunity and share their view and perspectives through every medium of art. Mixing cultures and environments creates the most interesting work I think. There are hard working people here, and that’s also because it’s expensive to live here. So the hard working ethic that people have here is something to be inspired by. Because they do not have a safety net, it’s all or nothing. I see it as a survival instinct and I want to implement that to my own ethos. New York City also kinda feels like an amusement park for me. A Metropolitan City at its finest. Different architectures and communities will suck you in to their world. I feel like an spectator and I’m taking everything in and bringing it back to the Netherlands.

What are you tremendously inspired by?

Being here feels like being in a different world and that stimulates me in many forms. I am definitely inspired by the graffiti in New York and how it communicates with its environment. There is a lot of it over here and it gives the city so much character. The skateboarding scene here inspires me because New York is is a rough terrain to skate, it’s not like California where the weather is always great with big beautiful skateparks. It forces skaters to get more creative and skate the streets with cars and pedestrians passing by. I’m inspired by a lot of things but to make it short; the music scene (hip/hop, jazz, electronic etc), the way people dress, the food, the soundscape of the city and the architecture.

Who’s the most outstanding creative over there?

One of my favourite artists in New York is Nathalie Nguyen. She’s a 3D sculptor, animator, fine artist and she has her own clothing brand called “Happy 99”. Her not limiting herself to one medium and her obsessive nature with her hobbies and inspirations is very inspiring to me. We share the same interests in; anime, games, figurines, build kits and collecting Japanese art-books. This one of her early works in collaboration with other 3D artists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIa07xmrhuM. The way her work feels authentic is what draws me to it.

Another artist I appreciate is Hidji. He’s a director, editor and fine artist. His work captures the New York hiphop culture and culture in general very well through his music video’s, advertising and fine art. This is one of his latest music video’s he co-directed with Spike Jordan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoK2m6Mu53A. What I like about these artists is that we have the same interests and they’re constantly evolving and not limiting themselves to one style or medium forever. Letting go of the old you and keep on evolving by trying new mediums of expression, but because it’s their work it will always feel connected. As long as it comes from source of purity the end result doesn’t matter.

WHAT ‘SOUVENIR’ WILL YOU BRING HOME?

If I could bring an item home it would be probably be a Yankee hat covered by pins I bought throughout my stay here. It’s a must have item when you visit New York and by throwing a little bit of my personal flavour on it makes it feel like a collectible. A professional feeling would be the drive to make things happen. Learning how to think faster and to stop dwelling on idea’s and just EXECUTE! Make as much art as you can and make more mistakes. I want to go back to when I first started making art. I was just experimenting and didn’t think too much about how it would be received. Because I have a limited time here I’m forced to think faster. New York can also feel overwhelming, it’s very easy to overwork yourself so it’s important to work smart and not too hard. Planning ahead and consistency is important for a healthy mind state.