aNDRE KONINGS

Grey Sheep

ANDREKONINGS

Location

utrecht / The Netherlands

University

hku university of the arts utrecht

Graduation year

2023

Contact

André Konings is a Utrecht-based artist who creates in-between worlds where he embraces the unreachable. Through the realm of fashion design, he creates physical and digital garments with graphic prints that contribute to his visual universe, forming an alluring visual language where aesthetics are central. Inspired by liminal spaces, the online world, evolution, and the unconscious mind, he immerses himself in a constant cycle of liminal spaces, whether they are online, physical spaces, or within a constant dream state. The garments he creates are hybrid forms of everything he observes around him. You cannot fully get a grasp on what you see. As if you take a look of a memory from a dream you had a while ago. With his collection he opens a portal into an atmosphere where the lines between reality and fantasy become fluid. This integration is reflected in his work ethic, as he works and experiments in between the physical and digital realms. Throughout the process, the experiments travel through these mediums, where the physical work is captured and modified in a digital environment. Working in between 2D and 3D, the physical outcomes always bear a synthetic digital presence.

Latest Collection

LIMINAL

The collection is a series of looks that represent liminal spaces, which are parallel to my own identity being someone who is mixed ethnicity wise, existing in a fluid state between genders and identities. I find myself not confined to a singular definition but instead residing in the gray area.
- Playing with the illusion of recognition. The garments feature prints that evoke a sense of elusiveness, as if they could vanish at any moment. They are exaggerated interpretations of online imagery depicting liminal spaces. They capture the surreal and eerie essence that I find fascinating. Each look possesses a distinctive element that you cannot fully get a grasp on, yet somehow feels familiar. It feels as if every garment is a fusion of multiple influences, reflecting and interacting with one another. The collection unveils a gateway to an atmosphere that embodies clarity within the ambiguous nature of existence.
This concept is further integrated into my artistic process, as I work within a digital environment, which itself resembles a liminal space. Digital images morph into prints, which then manifest as physical garments. These designs then undergo further transformation within 2D/3D software programs, leading to new design ideas. It's a constant loop of back-and-forth exploration in where i ended the collection with making 2d glass accessoiries showcasing already existing accessories in the collection but also abstract not yet existing accessories that i have yet to create or not. The end result is a collection of physical garments and accessories that retain a digital essence, evident in their reflective, immersive, and saturated prints.