Simon 'Sibumski' Uyterlinde

With a positive mindset and a smile on his face, Simon Uyterlinde (he/him) (a.k.a Sibumski) is inspired by subjects such as friendship, character traits and society as a whole. Sibumski analyzes the way people communicate, move or live and transforms this analysis in organic shapes with a thoughtful color palette. This results in concepts where abstraction and figurative elements are combined.

Sibumski strives for a well-balanced combination of working digitally and using traditional ways, such as screen printing. To produce the desired color palette, Sibumski works with Risograph and screen printing. Afterwards he optimizes his work by using digital software to add the desired contrasts and warmth. The combination of these techniques, results in a hand-made appearance for each individual piece.

Tell us what is important to you in life?

I think it is very important to seek for your passion or things that fascinate you, make you curious and motivate you. It can be anything, think of cooking, music or designing! Your passion defines you as a person and are the building blocks for you relationships with other people.

Where is your ideal environment to create?

Together with other artists I share a studio and that environments inspires me to stay creative, share knowledge and to have good conversations to motivate and inspire one another.

Describe a day in your week (it can be any day)

I work three days a week at a screen printing studio in Amsterdam. The rest of the week I work on freelance projects that I get from a variety of people. For the moment, I mostly design canvasses but soon a new projects is going to start namely a wall painting in the building where I live. Moreover, I try to fuel my own creativity by visiting exhibitions. Lastly, I do sports and hang out with my friends to relax after a long day of working.

Who are your latest artist crushes?

They change weekly or monthly, but the last few weeks I am getting inspired by Nick Dahlen, Gaurab Thakali, Andy Rementer and Xavier Schipani.

What is your favourite technique, if you have one, and why?

Most definitely screen printing. I love the process of mixing colors and how the process creates results that are even better than how I had imagined it to be. When setting up the screen printing process, with loud music in my ears, I feel like a kid in a candy store. When I am working on a screen print it feels like I am cooking a delicious meal. After each session I ask myself what new ingredients I can use to increase the quality of my prints.

Where do you find inspiration lately?

Lately I find inspiration from professional sport players. While I read or listen to podcasts and interviews with them I get inspired by their work ethic and dedication for the thing they love. I got motivated if I hear these people talk about their sacrificies, their daily routine and how they live for it. There are a lot of parts about their dedication that inspire me and to think about how to involve that in my own practice.

What’s the story behind the name? (Sibumski)

A few years ago a friend of mine and I were making jokes about random names and tried to make funny combinations. At one point he was saying: “kaboom, boomski, Simon Sibumski”! From that moment onwards I never forgot about the name and used it as my alias. To be Sibumski sounds energetic and enthusiastic which are elements that are reflected in my work. Next to this, the name Sibumski stays top of mind making sure not many people will forget the name.

Do you have a dream project?

I would love to travel around the world and creating murals in different parts of the country. For example, Bolivia and Cambodja.

What/who are you reading now?

At this moment I am reading “The Young Professional” by Ben Elsings. The book provides useful tools on how to succeed and grow in your profession.

Do you listen to anything when creating? (If yes, what are your latest favourites)

I like to explore different (sub) genres of music while I am working. Mostly I do this via NTS radio, a radiostation where a lot of different genres are broadcasted. Besides this I like electronic music and techno dj’s. For example Dixon, Hunee or Floating Points are my favorite ones. At the other hand I love music from King Krule, Tako Tsubo or Mount Kimbie.

How did you come up with your katoen.club prints?

The prints that I have designed are based on the connection we feel amongst one another as humans. To me connection can be translated and defined into love, attraction, but it also feels vague and mysterious to me sometimes. The undefinable part of human relationships fascinate me and I try to grasp this abstraction with recognizable elements, such as the overlapping hands.

You can see all prints by Simon's here and follow him on Instagram.