Maurice van Tilburg Glimne (Amsterdam, Netherlands) has always been passionate about drawing and creating my own world. The art works he creates are based on personal reflections, the desire for expressive painting and a drive to continuously reinvent himself by exploring new concepts and techniques. The conceptual reflections are useful to deal with challenges in his ‘other’ role as a senior manager in the financial services industry.

The Hidden Sacrifice concept that is nominated at the Global Art Awards is like many of his concepts part of my personal learning; my meaningful journey. It relates to his exploration of the relationship between humans and animals - he says.

Tell us about your nominated art piece for the Global Art Awards?

Starting from a wonderment about the way animals and animal products are a normalised part of everyday consumption, I investigate drivers and patterns influencing my own and human behavior.

I use parchment as key material for the art works. Parchment has been the 'paper' used for some centuries now by monks and book copiers. Before actually starting the creation, I prepare the parchment in accordance with ancient rituals as described in religious literature like Quran and Bible. Once all preparation is done I paint, cut and burn the parchment until it has the right shape and form. The parchment objects are presented in ‘glass bell miniature worlds’, combined with other objects that were part of my journey.

The specific art work nominated is from the Hidden Sacrifice series and is called ‘Protective Mantles’.

4. Hidden Sacrifice Protective Mantles.jpg

How would you react if you win a Global Art Award at the Armani Dubai Burj Khalifa surrounded by international Press and the Elite from the Art World?

The Hidden Sacrifice series that is nominated finds its origin on reflections of the spiritual role of mankind on this planet. And these art works reference old religious books from the Middle East and more specifically the story of Abraham. So these art works to be rewarded at this exhibition would feel like a homecoming celebration.

What drives you?

My key objective is to become a more beautiful person. I use experiences of frustration, pressure and stress as signals of where I could learn important things about myself. It triggers my journey to learn more by reflecting and researching and it materialises through the creation of art works.

What is your definition of art?

Art is both beauty and pity. It requires beauty as it is an aesthetic expression, where the artist uses craft to transform his or her feelings in appealing creations. But if art were only an appealing aesthetic effort to woo the audience it would be no more than good design. In order for it to be art it needs to be connected to the emotions, the ‘pain’ and the meaningful journey of the artist.

Nowadays distance between artist and audience is large, and development of art goes faster than the related knowledge of the art-lover. The question is if and how to bridge that increasing distance, especially when art aims to convey a certain message. This is why I wish to entice the viewer through my 'magic' objects, making them engage in an exploration to understand the meaning of the object. The stories of the objects are kept a secret to allow sufficient space for the viewer's imagination.

How do you deal with artist's block?

I travel a lot and I always bring small papers and a few pencils. With these I make small drawings. These quick drawings allow me to keep experimenting with new ideas and to keep building my palette of patterns and colors. The smallest of the drawings I give away as original business cards and the larger I post as street art for anyone to find. So basically I give the original drawings away which forces me to keep making new, and remain focused and productive.