Self-portrait in the making, Amsterdam 2018
About Jan Giliam
Jan Giliam (born Rhenen, 1965) is a Dutch visual artist whose practice centres on drawings, paintings and glass. Working primarily through automatic drawing and collaborative processes, he explores the tension between spontaneity and deliberate craft. In his studio, he fuses successive layers of glass at high temperatures. His practice embraces sustainability through the up-cycling of discarded materials, transforming old window panes and bottles into new artworks.
This engagement with recycled glass emerged from a collaborative project during the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven (2014). Through experimentation with salvaged materials, the practice of drawing directly onto found objects with heat-resistant markers before fusing them was developed, revealing unforeseen possibilities for artistic expression. The resulting dialogue between discarded materials and gestural mark-making became central to the artistic vocabulary that followed.
Networks and Collaboration
For Giliam, artistic practice is inherently relational. He maintains ongoing collaborations with Rik Lina and the collective of poets and artists known as the Cabo Mondego Section of Portuguese Surrealism, with whom he explores collective automatic painting and shared creative investigation. He conceives of networks not merely as practical arrangements but as modes of inquiry through which to examine his own artistic position. His work functions as a cultural intermediary, simultaneously operating on two registers: the singular and aesthetic on one hand, the interactive and communicative on the other.
Artistic Practice and Human Development
Giliam works part-time as a transition coach for young people with autism and other vulnerabilities navigating the period following special education. His coaching draws upon artistic methodology to cultivate authenticity, intrinsic motivation and creative agency. Central to this approach is the practice of présence, being fully present without agenda, informed by the philosophy of Andries Baart and the non-directive inquiry of Krishnamurti. Rather than imposing solutions, he creates space for young people to discover their own understanding through deep listening and observation.
By positioning the artistic world as continuous with their lived experience, he reveals that unconventional ways of thinking remain possible beyond mainstream frameworks. This coaching practice operates in reciprocity with his artistic inquiry. His investigations into 'the now' expressed through glass, drawing and painting are directly shaped by his engagement with young people. The stance of listening without judgement, essential to both his coaching and his automatic drawing practice, becomes a methodology that bridges both worlds. The two practices inform one another, creating a space where artistic development and human growth become inseparable.
Giliam also engages with theatre practitioners and writers on questions of institutional identity and digital representation. He has designed digital platforms for theatre group Dood Paard and for The Philosophical Egg, amongst other cultural initiatives.
Formation
Giliam studied Visual Arts, Pedagogy and Mathematics in Amsterdam, graduating in 1988. His technical expertise in glass fusion derives from study at the Bohle Glass Academy in Germany, supplemented by private instruction with glass artist Bert Grotjohann. Subsequent engagement with digital media and game design has enabled him to work across disciplinary boundaries. More recently, he has undertaken advanced training in authentic art education through the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) and participated in the "Arts Loves Sciences" programme, deepening his understanding of how artistic practice intersects with scientific inquiry and pedagogical innovation. This continuing education informs his work introducing young people to visual art, coding and contemporary creative practices.
On His Work
Giliam describes his artistic process: "Ensuing gestures and colour choice dictate the images that arise. I work out these images, drawing whatever presents itself to me, with no goal other than transmitting the impulse or desire of the moment, in an ecriture automatique. The very moment of metamorphosis appeals to me; when drawing a line, I follow the process. I let the line transform."