Jacco van den Hoek

Born in The Netherlands, I studied at the Constantijn Huygens art school in Kampen and worked and lived in The Netherlands, Spain and England. I started my professional career in an lettering company, applying transfers, cutting letters and painting letters by hand... The company grew and so did I... I left the company as company designer and production manager. Filled up my 24 years old VW Beetle with some clothes, sails and surfboards and left for the Canary Islands. Cruising in the centre of Spain, with no water around, with surfboards on my roof was an unforgettable experience. I settled in Fuerteventura... Apart from running out of money, I came to the conclusion that art and design was much more important to me than I thought and would be crucial for my evolution as a person. Stay in Spain or back to The Netherlands was the question...Love decided me to stay on the Canary Islands... But I needed an income...

Looking for work in a country in which you don't speak the language was quite a challenge. Nevertheless I found work thanks to my portfolio and started off in the international advertisement agency BSB (Backer Spielvogel Bates), one of the most important agencies on the islands at those moments. I started as a junior art director and left the company as a senior. Learned all the ins and outs of agency life. Working in tandem with copy and creative directors, production team, media department, etc. Fulgencio Cerrajero was at those times the creative director. Still remember the frenetic brainstorm sessions... I still work with him because of his excellent creative copy skills... For great design to work you need art and copy, period.

Schweppes, Heineken, Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, Tony Roma's and government departments, to name a few, were past on to me. TV commercials, campaigns, corporate identity, packaging, etc. added to my experience as a professional designer. During my time at BSB I started to investigate ceramics. Surely because of the lack of artistic freedom. Eduardo Andaluz, a well known ceramist, introduced me into the world of volumes and forms which gave me a different feel of how design can be perceived. Due to lack of time I haven't had the change to Investigate more. I surely will in a nearby future. Something tells me that there is more out there...

Restless and with anxiety for change, I temporarily moved to England. Picking up my oils again and investigating video art... England inspired me in such an extend that it changed my life. It made me decide to dedicate my time to art and design. When I returned to the Canary Islands, now some 10 years ago, I started as a freelance graphic designer and artist. Now looking back, was a quite a varied time. Apart from my commercial graphic design work I took the opportunity to take on projects of the most varied character. To name a few: "Día de Canarias" a TV transmitted show with music and dance where I was contracted as art director, created the visuals and designed the stage among other things. Various artistic projects involving other artists, published several multimedia project. Video art for and with various musicians. Founded the band #(928) which took me to Berlin (Berghain), Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and various cities in mainland Spain. Giving workshops about creative processes. Projects in art centers like FLUXART about creative processes made accessible for all public.(instantaneas). Speaker at art conference about identity in art ins/outs at the CAAM museum. Exhibitions of my art work, etc. so I didn't get bored...

Now
Turning fifty in a few years, I think it's a good time to rethink my activities. I decided to focus myself as a graphic designer on visual identity/corporate identity and on oil painting as an artist. And because I don't want to imprison myself artistically, I started a new project called Typical Canario. These are digital art works that consist of a type of collage of home made canary themed photographs. This project is more commercial orientated Conceived as an original way to decorate your house, office, apartment or hotel.

Goals
All that I experienced over the years, artistically and commercially is still very alive in what I do and who I am. It's providing me with the ideal melt pot to create unique, personal, sensible and sensitive work that connects.

Philosophy
As a self employed I believe in transparency, ethics and sustainability. I believe in sharing know how and to construct things on a humane and sensible basis. This way you create a personal relationship where the product is a mere consequence of a creative process between people. The only way that leads to quality is through a balance between rationality and emotion...