Tijs Van Steenberghe
Tijs Van Steenberghe is a visual artist based in Ghent, Belgium. His practice centers around analogue collage, working with found images, vintage magazines, and time-worn paper. With a background in photography and a deep interest in visual culture, Tijs explores how fragments of the past continue to shape our present. Through his collages, he invites viewers to reflect on memory, identity, and the quiet power of the ordinary image.
Visual
It all started with a digital camera my parents gave me. I began bringing it along to gatherings with friends, casually capturing fleeting moments.
One friendship in particular sparked something deeper—a growing love for photography. Moksje, we are soulmates. In those first years, I was simply playing—experimenting with the medium, unaware of where it might lead.
Later, I began honing my skills through band photography. I’m still grateful to Pura Vida and The Last Ark for letting me tag along and learn by doing.
Eventually, I was encouraged by a beautiful loved one to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. That’s where I began shaping my first projects as a visual author.
More than anything, I’ve come to see how visual art can bring people together—how it helps us express what words sometimes can’t, and offers a way to understand and position ourselves in the world.
Bricoleur
I first encountered the concept of bricolage through academic texts, but it quickly resonated beyond theory. What draws me to it is the idea that knowledge is never fixed — it’s always shifting, uncertain, and open to reinterpretation.
To me, a bricoleur embraces the messiness of everyday life. They work with what’s at hand, navigating complexity with curiosity and care — fully aware that they, too, are part of the chaos.
This way of thinking deeply informs my analogue collage practice.
As one definition beautifully puts it:
“The bricoleur, who is the ‘savage mind’, works with his hands in devious ways, puts pre-existing things together in new ways, and makes do with whatever is at hand.”
Amateur
One of my dearest friends is an art historian. During one of our conversations, he shared a beautiful interpretation of the word amateur. In art history, it once described someone with a sincere love and passion for the arts — someone deeply engaged, even if not professionally involved.
What struck me most was that being an amateur didn’t imply a hierarchy. It wasn’t about being “less than” a professional artist, but rather about approaching art with genuine care and curiosity.
I love this perspective. It reminds me that the idea of what it means to be an artist is always shaped by the spirit of the times. And it gives me the freedom to define myself as an artist on my own terms.
De Luxe
To me, the presence of luxury is a mirror — it reflects the immense wealth that exists in our world, but also how unevenly that wealth is distributed.
Calling myself an amateur de luxe is a way of acknowledging my own socio-economic position. I was fortunate to grow up with every opportunity to explore and develop myself. That privilege gave me access to both material and immaterial resources to engage with the arts.
De luxe represents a reflective state of mind: a quiet gratitude for the chances I’ve had, paired with an awareness that not everyone shares those same privileges. It’s an invitation to stay conscious of that imbalance — and to carry that awareness into the work I make.