Op z'n janboerenfluitjes found its origins in Albania, after noticing a man slamming cement against a brick wall while listening to Born to die by Lana Del Rey, from our parked car. It embodied some sort of socialogical glorification of a Jan Modaal, a Joe Sixpack proletarian, and resulted in the exhibition called Op z’n jan boerenfluitjes. The series was built on the etymological background of the name Jan and its proverbs and sayings. Some of the characters came from Potgieter's Jan, Jannetje en hun jongste kind (1841). In this allegory, Potgieter describes the history of the Netherlands in which the protagonist Jan Salie functions as the epitome of the miserable feelings and sluggish spirit of the Netherlands during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Through stylized figures and simple symbolism, this zeitgeist was placed in a contemporary setting.
