The samples of Joop Bongaerts (27) from Breda go all over the world. Using a photo, he recreates images of monsters from well-known films. “I really try to make them come alive. That is the ultimate thing you want to achieve.” Film enthusiasts buy those images for 1500 to 3500 euros each.
He can also imitate ordinary people in an image, but Joop doesn’t find that very fascinating. “Secretly, I really like provoking a reaction with what you make. Something monstrous and scary triggers the viewer faster.”
He already imitated Lurtz from ‘Lord of the Rings’, Caesar from ‘Planet of the Apes’ and Davy Jones from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. “I used to be a fan of movies and I loved to draw and paint. Modeling was added to that.” He learned the tricks of the trade from one special effectscompany in the Netherlands. “I stopped there, but I kept making sculptures for collectors. Now it’s my job. I do this full time.”
“I’ve been working on an image for two months.”
The artist always starts with clay. “It’s water clay. That is the same clay used for making pots. There are no pieces in it,” he explains. “Moulding takes a lot of time. First you roughly set up the shapes, just like drawing. Then you also use other materials such as silicone or soft foam. All in all, it takes me two months to create an image.”
Especially the placement of the eyes is very precise. “If an image looks just a millimeter in the wrong direction, you already get the wrong expression. Or he looks squint. It has gone wrong many times.”
It is mainly collectors who order sculptures from him. “For their hobby room, their mancave. Although women also buy the statues. They’re movie fans.”
“A Lord of the Rings artist bought one of my heads.”
Bongaerts late during the two-day festival The Art Department in the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven, he can see how the sculptures are made. These days he stands among the creative makers of major Hollywood films. For example, the creative greats who worked on films such as ‘Star Wars’, ‘The Lion King’, ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Ice Age’ also came to Eindhoven. There is no lack of interest: the queues are long when the doors of the building open.
And also from the film world itself, the reactions to his work are praiseworthy. “I also have famous people who buy the statues. One of the artists of ‘Lord of the Rings’ bought one of the heads from me. It’s now in his collection.”
Joop has one wish for himself. “I would like to make a really cool Dracula.”
