LAURENS JANSENS

ANTWERP, BELGIUM   ARTIST

BELGIUM ARTIST LAURENS JANSENS EXPRESSES HIS LOVE FOR THE HIP-HOP CULTURE THROUGH HIS ARTWORK. HIS DEVOTION TO THE 90'S THROUGH EARLY 2000'S ERA OF HIP-HOP IS PREVALENT THROUGHOUT HIS BODY OF WORK. JANSENS CHOICE OF HIP-HOP ARTIST AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL HAS BEGAN TO GAIN HIM NOTORIETY AMONGST THE HIP-HOP COMMUNITY. FROM FAITH EVANS TO DMX, ARTIST ARE SHOWING THEIR APPRECIATION AND SUPPORT FOR JANSENS WORK. WE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH JANSEN TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT PUSHES HIS INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIP-HOP AND ART.  

VALIDATED: WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

LAURENS JANSEN:  I'M FROM ANTWERP, BELGIUM.

VALIDATED: WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS?

LAURENS JANSEN: I USE A MIX OF 4 PRODUCTS THAT I WORKED OUT. ITS MY OWN TECHNIQUE TO MAKE BIG SIZE PENCIL DRAWINGS THAT HAVE THE FEEL OF A PAINTING BUT THE DETAIL OF THE PENCILS.  I DON'T LIKE TO PAINT SO I LOOKED FOR A WAY TO DO MY OWN THING/STYLE. HOW AND WHAT I USE I LIKE TO KEEP TO MYSELF :)

VALIDATED: WHAT ARE A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS/REWARDS OF WHERE YOUR ARTWORK HAS TAKEN YOU SO FAR?

LAURENS JANSEN: MY ARTICLE IN "THE SOURCE MAGAZINE" WAS A NICE SIGN OF APPRECIATION. I HAD MANY ARTISTS SHARE MY WORK ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA SUCH AS WU-TANG CLAN, DJ PREMIER, SNOOP DOGG, DMX, SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, LIL CEASE, MC REN, YOUNG DIRTY BASTARD , GHOSTFACE KILLAH, RAEKWON, ETC. FAITH EVANS EVEN INVITED ME TO BE PART OF BIGGIE NIGHT AT BARKLEYS IN BROOKLYN AND HAVE A SMALL PART OF THE MUSIC VIDEO CLIP OF "LEGACY" FEATURING THE NOTORIOUS BIG.  THAT WAS DEFINITELY A HIGHLIGHT!
VALIDATED: WHEN AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO FOCUS ON HIPHOP ARTIST?
LAURENS JANSEN: I AM A HUGE FAN OF HIPHOP AND I ALWAYS LISTEN TO 90'S HIP HOP WHEN DRAWING. SO AT ONE POINT I DECIDED TO STOP DOING COMMISSION WORK, AND WORK FULL TIME ON A LEGENDS OF HIP HOP SERIES. IT FIRST STARTED WITH BLACK AND WHITE PORTRAITS, BUT NOW I'M WORKING ON MY "HIP HOP HEAD" SERIES IN COLOR.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO HOW THE HIPHOP COMMUNITY HAS EMBRACED YOUR WORK?

LAURENS JANSEN: I GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FROM EUROPE TO THE USA TO AUSTRALIA, JAPAN... ITS CRAZY! HIP HOP CULTURE IS SO BIG, ITS SO GLOBAL AND MY WORK HAS PEOPLE SHOWING LOVE! I GUESS I'M FILLING IN A GAP,  WHERE PEOPLE ALWAYS LINK HIP HOP TO GRAFFITI. I THINK I'M BRINGING SOMETHING FRESH TO THE TABLE. NOT JUMPING THE BANDWAGON BUT STICKING TO WHAT I LOVE, THE GOLDEN ERA OF HIP HOP.

VALIDATED: HAVE YOU HAD ANY ART EDUCATION OR ARE YOU SELF TAUGHT?
LAURENS JANSEN: I'M A SELF TAUGHT ARTIST. I WENT TO ART SCHOOL FOR 6 MONTHS AS A TEENAGER BEFORE GETTING KICKED OUT. I DON'T LIKE TO COMPROMISE, AND I LIKE TO DRAW WHAT I FEEL. I THINK I WAS TOO OUTSIDE OF THE BOX (SYSTEM).
VALIDATED: HOW HAS PAINTING INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE?
LAURENS JANSEN: DRAWING HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON MY LIFE. IT'S A EVERYDAY THING. ITS A HOBBY, A PASSION, A LIFESTYLE AND HOW I EXPRESS MYSELF.
VALIDATED: WHICH ARTIST HAD THE MOST MEMORABLE REACTION TO YOUR DRAWING OF THEM?
LAURENS JANSEN: THE MOST MEMORABLE REACTION TO MY WORK? I REALY CANT PICK ONE. I GET A LOT OF GREAT REACTIONS. I THINK WHEN ARTISTS THEMSELVES SHOW LOVE ITS REAL SPECIAL. BUT TO NOTICE THAT SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD LOVE WHAT I'M DOING FROM TEENAGERS THAT LOVE OLD SCHOOL HIP HOP TO PEOPLE WHO GREW UP ON HIP HOP. THE FACT THAT EVERY DAY PEOPLE ASK ME WHEN MY WORK / PRINTS AND MERCHANDISE WILL BE AVAILABLE SHOWS ME THAT THERE IS A LOT OF APPRECIATION FOR MY ART.
VALIDATED: WHERE CAN THE READERS FIND YOU ON THE WEB?

LAURENS JANSEN: Find my work on Instagram and Facebook under "Laurens J Drawings.