Tijs Dragtsma (1992) - Before the First Kiss

Before the First Kiss

A sculptural work from the Art with Nails series by Tijs Dragtsma

Before the First Kiss captures the charged stillness of a moment suspended in time. Two faces move toward one another, separated by only a breath. The space between them holds anticipation. Electricity. The promise of first contact.

The image is not painted or printed. It is constructed through controlled physical impact. Hundreds of precisely positioned blackened steel nails penetrate a white acrylic glass surface, forming fragmented contours that resolve only from a distance.

From afar the figures appear calm and intimate. Up close, the surface becomes a landscape of vertical tension. Each nail is a measured gesture. A deliberate strike. Together they construct not the kiss itself, but the silence before it.

The contrast between hardened steel and smooth acrylic glass intensifies this duality. Strength meets vulnerability. Force meets hesitation. The material tension mirrors the emotional one.

Light activates the work. Shadows stretch across the white plane, subtly narrowing the space between the two faces. As illumination shifts, the distance seems to change. The air between them feels alive.

This work is about the first approach. The almost-touch. The fragile courage of leaning in. The moment where time slows and everything is possible.

While part of a limited edition, each piece retains subtle variations due to the physical impact process, making every work materially individual.

Before the First Kiss is not about contact. It is about anticipation. The invisible thread that pulls two people together before they meet.

About Art with Nails

Art with Nails is a self-developed artistic medium in which imagery emerges through the precise placement of steel or brass nails into acrylic glass. Rather than applying pigment, Dragtsma constructs form through repetition, rhythm and controlled physical impact.

Each nail functions as an independent sculptural element within a larger spatial composition. Depth is physically present. The interaction between metal, acrylic glass and light defines the final visual experience.

Light is not external. It completes the work. Shadows become secondary lines. Perspective transforms perception.

While produced in limited editions, no two works are materially identical due to the physical nature of the process.

About the Artist – Tijs Dragtsma

Tijs Dragtsma is a Dutch contemporary artist and founder of TD Fine Art Studio. His practice operates at the intersection of material, structure and light, with a strong focus on developing distinct artistic languages rather than following established traditions.

He is widely recognised for his Art with Nails series, in which hundreds to thousands of steel or brass nails form sculptural portraits that transform with light and viewing angle. Through precision and repetition, he translates digital mapping into physical presence.

Since beginning his artistic practice in 2024, his works have entered private collections across Europe, Asia and the United States, and have been presented internationally. His work is driven by experimentation, technical control and a long-term vision centred on material integrity and spatial experience.

All works are conceived and produced in his studio in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.