The Toolbox

Wijnand Steemers

WIJNAND STEEMERS [pseudonyms Edouard Steenaertz, Silvercleet, Winand Stemez, a.o.], poet, painter (1947, Wageningen, The Netherlands)]. In 1976 participant in Poety International Rotterdam. Received letters of recommendation of the Dutch authors Jan Hanlo and Gerrit Komrij. He used to take consciously part with a strong position ‘in the margin’, but at present he is appearing more frequently in the searchlights. Composer Harry Mayer put four of his poems to music. Editor of Piece for Jan Sierhuis (for guitaar) of music of Walter Hekster. Collections of poetry: Droomfabriek (The Toolbox), In Petto (In Store). De Trekkracht van het Toeval (The Tractive Power of Coincidence), Sub Rosa, Zijspiegels langs de Stootranden van de Randwoordelijkheid (Sidemirrors along the Buffers of the Responsibility). Verboden Toegang voor Onbevoegden (2003), Sed non satiata. (2009). Poëtocratie, non-novel (Poetocracy), (2006). In 2009 My Guitar had been published, a bundle of aforisms, ideas and thoughts. Translator of poems of Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Rimbaud, ancient Chinese poets, Rilke. Participation in the reviews Droomschaar (Dream-scissors), A Phala. Animator of the subrealistic reviews for poets and painters Thumor and OR. In limited editions of 50 copies he published Pijnstillers (Painkillers), Gevaarlijk alfabet (Dangerous Alphabet), Toegiften [Encores] etc. in limited or very limited copies. His last non-novel is Ja, Ick Wil (Yes, I want, or The Mowingfield (Leida Torck, 2018.) He represents himself as a ‘blindfolded seer’ (in the tradition of Dada, Surréalisme, Cobra) in the experimental series of oilpaintings Eye-openers, trying to ‘operate’ the eye of the spectator for the perception of new images. He developed from this a so-called ‘subrealistic’ (instead of and in relation to ‘sur-realistic’) philosophy, on which his paintings have been founded. He cooperated sometimes with other painters, Rik Lina, Gregg Simpson. In 1994 there was an exhibition with the Danish paintress Elisabeth Kristensen, Co-operations, with whom he painted the same canvas. Since 1994 he is at work on a series of paintings Toujours plein du Nombre et de l’Harmonie (Everything is full of Harmony and Number) in which he interpretes ‘l’avenir matérialiste’ [the materialistic future] of Arthur Rimbaud. ‘This will be the language of the soul for the soul’. Since July 2009 he is full-time travelling around as a ‘vagant’, reading his poetry and exhibiting his paintings. more…

All Wijnand Steemers poems | Wijnand Steemers Books