Joost Willems

As a psychiatric nursing lecturer and creative therapist, Joost Willems relies on art as an influential means in the recovery process of vulnerable people as it helps break down the barriers to integration and resocialization. Some 15 years ago, he was at the foundations of OXOt vzw, an inclusive platform for artists running on volunteers that operates in Westerlo Ghent and Antwerp. As a sculptor, he was involved in several collective artworks in addition to his individual work. His practice interfaces with classical, primitive, and pop art, with a specific interest in outsider art. A strong social commitment can be noticed in his work, as he uses art as a glue to connect, as a pill that increases well-being, and as an antidote to stigma.