Jeroen Smeets started The Jaunt in 2013 with a simple pitch: send artists somewhere new, cover their costs, and let them create whatever the trip inspires – no commissions, no briefs, just travel and time. What began as one screenprint collaboration has become an ongoing project pairing artists with destinations they wouldn’t normally reach, from Jamaica to Kyoto to Joseph, Oregon.
Each trip produces a single hand-pulled print made after the artist returns home, meaning they’re free to absorb the place without immediately turning it into work. Since launching, The Jaunt has sent nearly 100 artists around the world. From his base in Denmark, Smeets funds it through pre-orders and print sales, turning art collectors into quiet patrons of creative exploration – and proving that supporting artists doesn’t need foundations or fellowships, just someone willing to make it happen.
Why did you start The Jaunt – what was missing in the art world at the time?
I wanted to create a residency like project that would provide unique experiences and inspiration for a range of output. The trips we organise are meant to be purely focused on input – we immerse an artist into a place they have never been before in order to soak it all up. Not to process and develop that into new work right away, but to have the chance to focus on intentional inspiration.
Ten years and 100 trips later, how has the project evolved from your original vision?
We still send artists to place they have never been to before to find new inspiration. What has developed over the years is that we are focusing more and more on the storytelling of the trips, and sharing the complete creative process, not only through a silkscreen print, but also through exhibitions and other opportunities.
What do you look for in a portfolio to tell if an artist is right for a Jaunt?
Because we always make a silkscreen print with the artist, that is the one and foremost criteria for when I’m curating artists. ‘Can I do the artists artwork justice in a silkscreen print?’ Next to that there are so many different criteria that I can look at, and not one artist always checks off all the boxes, and that is totally fine. I try to keep a balance and diversity in style, background, career and origin.
Why the commitment to hand-pulled screenprints over digital formats?
A hand pulled screenprint is an intentional artwork. To fully benefit from the possibilities of silkscreen printing, you need to create an artwork with the production process of silkscreen printing in mind. Utilising colours, transparencies, papers and the craft of silkscreen printing. It is a hand made product that is specifically made for it. Whereas unfortunately, digital printing formats are often too much a photo of an original artwork printed on paper. There is no art to the production and no intention behind it.
How do you pick destinations?
Sometimes it happens I suggest a place to an artist, other times I suggest a destination that never crossed their mind before. And at other times, I ask artists which destinations are on their bucket list. Tokyo is by far the place most often on that bucket list – and we’ve actually never sent an artist to Tokyo.
There isn’t really any sense of new astonishment or awe, at least, not in a surprising way – for that matter, the same goes for capitals like Stockholm, New York, or any other city. The most important question I have for artists is, ‘what do you want to get out of your trip?’ And that answer needs to be exciting and interesting.
How do you ensure an artist actually inhabits a location?
We try to make local connections where possible. Either through the artists meeting with local artists, or another connection. For example, when we sent the artist Travis Weller on a trip to Jamaica, he was able to connect with other surfers that were able to show him around on the island and they were able to connect through surfing and their love of reggae music.
Biggest hurdle for artists working in makeshift studios halfway across the world?
The artist can design their trip in a way that focuses completely on taking in new inspiration and not necessarily the creation of artwork. We have also had some artists who travelled to certain print studios where they were able to experiment in the print studio and that was part of their trip – so not one trip is the same and we can be flexible with any trip that we organise is order to make sure that the artists get out of their trip what they want.
How has the shift toward ‘slow travel’ changed artist output?
It comes back to the cliche of ‘the journey is its own reward’ and it actually reminds me of the COVID lockdown. All of a sudden, we were not able to send our artist on any trips, and we had to postpone and rebook trips we had planned already. But we worked together with artists to find places of refuge that were closer to home. A cabin in the woods, or a small historic town that you always heard about but never visited and is only two hours away. This also opened my eyes to the fact that you don’t have to fly to the other side of the world to find inspiration, but can just as easily find it in your own backyard.
How do you convince fans to buy prints before they’ve seen the artwork?
Normally when you walk into a gallery your first connection to the art is visual, only later you learn more about the artist, the show, the process. With The Jaunt, right from the start you become of the creative process. By pre-ordering a print you contribute to the creative process of the artist – I think our followers and collectors are really excited about the feeling of being closely connected to the process of our artists.
Exact moment you realised The Jaunt was a sustainable business?
After I announced our first trip and we managed to sell out the complete edition, I realised that people were excited about this new form of supporting artists. There have been a lot of ups and downs of course, but I am proud to say that we are still here, and are still running this project while also remaining to be an affordable option for people to start collecting artwork.
Favourite local restaurants in Denmark?
Sprød in Aarhus has pretty solid pizza’s and Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen does great Mexican food.
Local hidden gem?
Institut for X in Aarhus, a great bustling ecosystem of underground makers and creatives. Especially bustling in the summer time.
Best local bars?
I try to go to the most randoms bars that I have never been too, they never fail to provide a great evening.
Top three museums in the world?
Aros, in Aarhus. Local museum with great programming and impressive experiential architectural works from the likes of James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson. Not a museum but Haus Nowhere in Seoul is a next level art and retail experience that is unmatched. And the MoMA in New York is a classic.
Where do you go for creative energy?
I try to tap into local underground scenes and get a feel for those, either from silkscreen printing, graffiti, skateboarding, or small collectives. I love the do it yourself and get shit done attitudes of young collectives.
Where do you go for pure escapism?
I go to sleep.
And where do you go for a creative reset?
Hiking out in nature, always a good way to cleanse the mind and start fresh.
Travel splurge you’ll never regret?
Sauna and massages.
Favourite hotel in the world?
I’m not picky at all, whichever hotel is most conveniently located to where I need to be.
What’s always your carry-on?
I travel light and with carry-on only. So fresh sets of clothes, electronics, toothbrush and we’re good to go.
Dream destination, not yet fulfilled?
Currently; Mongolia.
Dream destination on The Jaunt bucket list?
More than destinations on the bucket list, there are experiences that I’m waiting to match the right artist with. I think that it could be super interesting to have an artist on a hiking trip in the mountains, or on a boat for five days. But also for the right artist to visit an elderly home in their own city to connect with the people living there and hearing their stories and learning about their lives.
What are you looking forward to at the next Jaunts?
We got a full program coming up with a handful of destinations that I’ve had on my list for a little while, so I am excited to announce all if these trips once the time is right.
