Jens Buis

Jens Buis (1998, Groningen, NL) operates at the intersection of film and painting, creating works that blur the boundaries between time-based media and static image. With a background in media design—where he developed an early fascination with film, animation, and movement—he continued his artistic education at the Minerva Art Academy in Groningen from 2019, where his distinctive visual language began to take shape.

Filmographic Paintings

At the core of Buis’ practice are what he calls filmographic paintings: works derived from analogue video footage, often sourced from personal and family archives. From these recordings, he isolates abstracted stills—fragments of memory suspended in time—and reconstructs them through a specialized printing technique using a lenticular lens structure.

The result is neither fully image nor film, but something in between. As viewers move in front of the work, the composition shifts and merges, revealing different layers and moments depending on perspective. This dynamic interaction transforms the act of looking into a temporal experience—one that echoes the fluid, unstable nature of memory itself. Mystical forms, luminous colour fields, and organic movements further heighten this sense of immersion.

Between the Digital and the Physical

Buis’ work is deeply concerned with the tension between digital and physical realities. In an age where images are endlessly reproducible and consumed at speed, his practice reintroduces slowness, presence, and bodily engagement. By moving away from figurative representation, he invites viewers to reconnect with perception itself—encouraging a more intuitive and contemplative way of seeing. Aesthetics play a crucial role in this process. Rather than avoiding beauty, Buis embraces it as a gateway to something deeper: a poetic search for the sublime, where visual experience becomes a means of transcending the ordinary.

The Sublime and Peak Experience

Underlying his visual practice is an ongoing conceptual inquiry that began with his thesis, Oceanic Reflections: A personal exploration on time, art, unity, and the sublime in a digital age. In this research, Buis examined how the digital world reshapes our perception of time, particularly in relation to so-called “peak experiences”—intense, often fleeting moments in which one feels a profound sense of connection, clarity, or transcendence. These moments, which can arise through aesthetics, physical sensation, or even discomfort, offer a glimpse beyond everyday reality—what Buis describes as a return to something essential and timeless. His work seeks not only to evoke such experiences, but to explore whether they can be extended or deepened through artistic means. This inquiry has expanded beyond the studio. In a continuation of his research, Buis embarked on a physical journey at sea—an intentional withdrawal from the digital world and a surrender to natural forces. Echoing Bas Jan Ader’s historic voyage In Search of the Miraculous, Buis’ expedition reflects a contemporary pursuit of the same elusive, “oceanic” feeling: a sense of unity, presence, and connection with the world. The term Oceanic itself refers to a concept introduced by Romain Rolland in correspondence with Sigmund Freud—describing a boundless sensation of oneness that lies at the root of spirituality and meaning.

Collections

• The Lakeside Collection (Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen)
• Alpenhof am Achensee art collection