Rhizomebook.com | Jan van der Til | Concepts of work | Curriculum vitae | Support Mondriaan Fund
"In order not to become a houseplant, I study wild plants. Their survival strategies, growth, and dispersal are a valuable source of inspiration for me. The way in which some plants can grow between tiles, survive on barren soil, or manage to infiltrate beautiful landscaped gardens is truly admirable to me." Til, J. van der (2019). Do I understand my garden? Groningen, The Netherlands: Rhizomebook.
Jan van der Til is a Dutch artist whose multidisciplinary practice engages critically with dominant assumptions surrounding authorship, originality, meaning production, and context. His work is not driven by the search for definitive answers, but by a desire to expose the underlying structures that shape how we see, think, and act.
His practice unfolds not linearly but according to a networked logic: fragmentary, open-ended, and continuously branching. Each work — typically titled Book, followed by a Roman numeral — functions as an autonomous node within an ever-evolving constellation of ideas, materials, and relations. Rather than adhering to a singular style or medium, his work is layered, adaptive, and context-sensitive.
A key conceptual framework in his approach is the rhizomatic model developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari: a non-hierarchical, multiple system of growth and connection without a fixed beginning or end. This model serves Van der Til not only as a metaphor, but as a structural and methodological principle — shaping both how the work develops and how it relates to the world around it.
The content of his work is often informed by the survival strategies of wild plants — species that establish themselves in marginal spaces and elude cultivation or control. As he states: “In order not to become a houseplant, I study wild plants… The way in which some plants can grow between tiles, survive on barren soil, or manage to infiltrate beautiful landscaped gardens is truly admirable to me.'” This metaphor reflects not only his stance towards institutional systems, but also provides an epistemological model for a practice that moves along the edges of established structures.
While his work has been presented in museum and gallery contexts, Van der Til increasingly positions himself outside the closed circuit of the art world, which he experiences as siloed and self-referential. His practice seeks out alternative contexts for reflection, exchange, and impact — spaces where artistic research intersects with ecological, societal, or technological concerns.
One recent project within this broader practice is the establishment of the Heermoes en Zevenblad Foundation. The foundation advocates for an environment in which ecology forms the basis for policy, with a specific focus on urban ecology in the municipality of Groningen and — where possible — beyond. It aims to promote coherent and concrete nature-based policies that support biodiversity, climate adaptation, and the integration of ecological principles into how we live, work, and govern. Nature, in this view, is recognized for its intrinsic value and approached as a complex and interconnected system. The foundation operates at the intersection of ecological expertise, administrative experience, and artistic intervention.
A structural and conceptual expansion of Van der Til’s practice is currently taking shape through the exploration of blockchain technology. The decentralized and horizontal logic of blockchain closely aligns with the rhizomatic thinking that characterizes his work. Rather than a conclusive system, blockchain functions here as an experimental infrastructure where methodological, discursive, and economic dimensions converge. Initial investments have been made to lay the groundwork for an alternative, sustainable financial architecture — one that enables projects to develop independently of traditional markets. Through decentralized networks and smart contracts, future works can generate revenue that is reinvested within the practice itself. This applies both to individual projects and broader initiatives such as Heermoes en Zevenblad. In this context, blockchain is not merely a technological tool, but a strategic model that deepens the principles of autonomy, connectivity, and generativity.