Bjorn Tagemose, Visual artist

“I grew up in the streets around Conscienceplein. A fantastic neighbourhood, which has always had a very artistic atmosphere. My mother was Flemish, my father Danish. I now live in Antwerp-Zuid but during the holiday months I stay in Sweden. The creative Antwerp vibes in combination with the Swedish peace and quiet and simplicity provide the right balance.” 

“Antwerp encourages cross-fertilisation between art forms. And I like that. Music, movies, fashion: all these disciplines are intertwined with each other. Rock groups have a sense of styling, the fashion world like to incorporate rock elements, just look at Walter Van Beirendonck. There are no limits anymore. My work combines this pure rock ‘n’ roll with a clean aesthetic. Of course I encounter many creative soul mates here. The amount of artistic talent per square metre in Antwerp is simply mind-boggling. We dare to look beyond our borders, fly our own course, constantly exchange ideas, dare to say what we think and launch ourselves into our projects. It is precisely this individuality, which has contributed to Antwerp’s reputation as a world-class art city.” 

“The Scheldt bend and the quays are my favourite place to work. I have already worked in some of the most amazing places in the world but Antwerp is simply better suited to some projects. The harshness of locations such as Linkeroever (the Left Bank), the former railway sheds in Antwerpen-Noord, the waterfront: I just can’t find that anywhere else. I recognize that same raw feeling in the work of Tuymans or Dries Van Noten.”