About Jan

Biography

Jan Mostert (1957) was trained in construction- and maintenance carpentry and furniture-carpentry. He took part in several internships in the Dutch timber and shipbuilding sector and was trained as an arts- and crafts teacher at the Dutch Academy of Visual Arts.

After a period in furniture- and construction carpentry he decided to fully focus his career on sculpting. Since the 

early nineties he has been exhibiting his work at diverse locations, varying from galeries and museums to commercial companies, shows and artists' associations. This led to an extensive collection of autonomous and commissioned work.

For the past 10 years he's been getting more and more involved in arts- and crafts lectures at schools and projects in the district where he not only guides children in making their own sculptures but also creates sculptures on site.

Jan: "By creating a piece of art in the presence of and sometimes together with children, a great sense of involvement emerges which makes the piece not only part of their environment but also of themselves. A certain kind of copyright will rest on the sculpture that transcends the personal. The vulnerability of the material becomes it's greatest strenght."

 Projects

Crafts- and Arts Project, "Wellant College" in Katwijk, The Netherlands

Theme: think of a monument or piece of art for your own environment.

Students took to creating scale models of their own ideas and witnessed their creation become part of a larger piece. 

Neighborhoor Project "Korte Akkeren" Gouda, The Netherlands

In coorporation with Paul Stamps, Piets Verkaik, Jantje Beton, "De Bakkerij" Amsterdam and "Woonpartners Middenholland". Wallpiece based on drawing by local young students. The children provided basic designs which were then executed in plate-material. Next the cut-outs were painted by the students themselves.

 Music

Jan has always been involved in music. Composing through improvisation , "musicalising" his poetry and intuitively guiding and inspiring other artists.

Playing his classic Spanish guitar, his style is often described as a unique combination of flamengo, classic and modern. Besides his solo performances he frequently backs and supports singers from the so called singer-songwriter genre.

From the songwriter: "For Jan there's no need to put anything to paper, and you shouldn't even try. Not once will a song come out the same, which makes the music sensitive to situation and vibe. Playing your songs with Jan is like constantly rediscovering your own music, wonderful."