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After graduating, he began his
professional career collaborating with the French Group Ludic.
This group designed futuristic playgrounds commissioned by De
Bijenkorf department store,
which were realized at four locations in the Netherlands and
France.
His experience designing play
spaces in public space led to the founding of the Werkgroep
Speelbouw
(Playbuilding Workshop), together with Nout Visser. With this
group, he realized several experimental playgrounds
in The Hague and organized art projects in public space. These
projects explored the interaction between art, play,
and the urban environment, and contributed to innovative ways
of experiencing public space.
In 1975, Sjardijn decided to
fully dedicate himself to autonomous painting. This led to the
founding of the successful
Hague Center for Contemporary Art (HCAK), the first artists'
initiative in the Netherlands. The HCAK played an important
role in the development of the contemporary art scene and
provided a platform for experimental and innovative art forms.
From 1984, Sjardijn's interest
shifted to sculptures in zero gravity. He designed the concept
"A Line in Outer Space Visible from Earth with the Naked Eye,"
which formed the basis for the project "A Mirror in Outer
Space." This project, in collaboration with Wim Bijleveld, was
realized at Omniversum The Hague.
Around 1990, Sjardijn, with
support from Erik Jansen of Delft University of Technology,
began researching the possibilities of sculpture in
zero gravity through interactive virtual reality. With funding
from the Mondriaan Foundation, he was able to develop virtual
reality equipment.
This led to the creation of the first Virtual Museum for the
Groninger Museum, an educational project in collaboration with
students from
the Haags Montessori Lyceum (The Hague Montessori Lyceum).
Despite his innovative projects
in sculpture and virtual reality, painting remained a constant
factor in his work. Inspired by the work of Francis Bacon,
the dramatic human image is central to his paintings. At the
invitation of Peter Kattenberg, Sjardijn worked and exhibited
in New York. He later
worked on a virtual reality project in Hungary.
In 2010, Sjardijn met the writer
and poet Anne Borsboom. This meeting led to a love
relationship and a fruitful artistic collaboration, including
the project
"The Art of Nietzsche," for which he was invited by Anne
Woodward. Anne Borsboom also assisted him with his virtual
reality research at TU Delft
and inspired him to write and create poetry.
Since 2014, Sjardijn has lived
and worked alternately in France and Scheveningen (a district
of The Hague). His focus is on paintings and drawings
in which the human figure is central. Through Anne's
influence, he has also turned to literature and poetry. In
addition to his ongoing research into
virtual reality, he is working on a book and writing poems, in
which artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role.
In his visual art, he
experiments with AI and seeks a spontaneous working method,
often inspired by models, nude studies, and direct actions.
Besides Francis Bacon, he has recently found inspiration in
the work of Tracey Emin.
Sjardijn’s work remains a
constant search for new forms and expressions, with the human
existential condition always at its core. His artistic
practice,
characterized by experiment and reflection, remains innovative
and relevant in the contemporary art world.