Daan Couzijn (NL) is an interdisciplinary, conceptual artist currently based in Amsterdam and Paris. After having been trained as a vocalist at the Conservatory of Music (Codarts) in Rotterdam, he continued his studies at the Institute of Performative Arts (Toneelacademie Maastricht) in Maastricht where he graduated with a BA degree in Performance Art. Concluding his education, Couzijn graduated in June 2019 from the postgraduate program of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Sandberg Institute) in Amsterdam, where he received an MA degree in Fine Art and Design.
Central to Couzijn's artistic practice is a persistent desire for — and simultaneous questioning of — authenticity. His work oscillates between the romantic notion that artists should pursue authenticity and the postmodern belief that all ideas are built upon what came before, inevitably referencing pre-existing simulacra. Frequently incorporating found objects, materials and images into his work, Couzijn doesn't regard the artwork as an end point, but as a temporary node in an infinite network of contributions. He believes that every idea, every creation, is a combined effort of everything we've ever witnessed and experienced and refuses any form of "source-hypocrisy", embracing all ideas as second-hand, consciously and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources. By recontextualising traditional forms and techniques within contemporary frameworks, Couzijn constructs visual narratives that investigate the instability of authenticity, the mechanics of cultural memory, and the endless reproduction of iconographies in an image-saturated age. Additionally, Couzijn performs and produces music under the pseudonym of Cousin. His electronic sounds dip into minimalistic trip-hop styles balanced out by catchy pop melodies, experimental key changes and a playful use of his background as a trained vocalist. With his music, he has supported artists like Bea1991, Lauren Auder and Le1f and performed live at Musée du Louvre in Paris and Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt in Berlin, in the framework of the Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin festival.
Couzijn is currently represented by PLUS-ONE Projects in Antwerp and his practice was recognised by the Mondriaan Fund in 2021 when he received the Artist Start grant.
Central to Couzijn's artistic practice is a persistent desire for — and simultaneous questioning of — authenticity. His work oscillates between the romantic notion that artists should pursue authenticity and the postmodern belief that all ideas are built upon what came before, inevitably referencing pre-existing simulacra. Frequently incorporating found objects, materials and images into his work, Couzijn doesn't regard the artwork as an end point, but as a temporary node in an infinite network of contributions. He believes that every idea, every creation, is a combined effort of everything we've ever witnessed and experienced and refuses any form of "source-hypocrisy", embracing all ideas as second-hand, consciously and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources. By recontextualising traditional forms and techniques within contemporary frameworks, Couzijn constructs visual narratives that investigate the instability of authenticity, the mechanics of cultural memory, and the endless reproduction of iconographies in an image-saturated age. Additionally, Couzijn performs and produces music under the pseudonym of Cousin. His electronic sounds dip into minimalistic trip-hop styles balanced out by catchy pop melodies, experimental key changes and a playful use of his background as a trained vocalist. With his music, he has supported artists like Bea1991, Lauren Auder and Le1f and performed live at Musée du Louvre in Paris and Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt in Berlin, in the framework of the Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin festival.
Couzijn is currently represented by PLUS-ONE Projects in Antwerp and his practice was recognised by the Mondriaan Fund in 2021 when he received the Artist Start grant.