The Motherland
2020-ongoing


The Motherland Project presents a meaningful kind of phenomenon which can only be seen from the matriarchal point of view. It is an observation, not an explanation, it is another reductionist approach, providing a shortcut to the past.



I visualize the outcome of my genealogical research and the chain of mothers-and-their-daughters over many generations. I find my inspiration in morphology, nature and the cosmos. I do not study the shapes or structure of celestial bodies, animals and flowers, but try to visualize forms of human life and lineages, like a botanical system, a group of related elements as a whole.

















Womb of Time (II)
2015-2019



Reflect. Reschedule. Replay. Restore. Recreate. Rethink. Remix... I could not find an agreement to resolve my dispute about Art & creation. I left the issue behind and developed a keen interest for historical research, heritage, houses & families. Used my creativity to set up a few new online initiatives and started to write and publish non-fiction books as a housedetective. I realized that I was in the Womb of Time again. It gave me the opportunity to explore new fields of expression and communication.

3 Mei 2018 KUNSTEN IN DE KAMER, een Haags theater, muziek, poezie en kunstroute met als thema de 2e Wereldoorlog, productie: Sheranie Rikkert en Sylvia v.d. Sluys. (participation) The Glovemakers









The Glove Makers
2010-2015


Philosophizing about Art. Art is the connection between an object, a person and a mental state. I am using gloves to let it happen. The Glove Makers started in Vienna, it is an ongoing project about the unprecedented possibilities of contemporary art. The re-making of gloves will bring forth new thoughts about creative energy. I am seeking and trying to catch ideas that not yet have come into being. NO STORY: We have Art for the sake of Art. Art for the sake of Money. Art as a Cultural Heritage or as a Mirror to Society. Art for Social Change. Art as an Identity Search. Community based Art, Land Art, Outsider Art, Design, Esthetics, Religious Art, Conceptualism, Metamodernism... For me it is time to go beyond the Story of Art. Moving towards another settlement for Art & Creation.




19 December 2013 - 26 january 2014 ARTI LEGI, Markt 27, Gouda, Nederland. "Toorop en de tijdgeest alweer geen witte kerst" by Herald Nobel (group exhibition)

6-27 October 2012 WUBET, by Arnold Haas, Praterstrasse 11, 1020 Wien, Austria. "Undressing Art" (solo exhibition)



Marvellous Works
2006-2009


Second hand books emerged to me. This new project was all about the re-making of books. Here I could focus on the inside and concepts rather than on the outside and material appearance.

The books provided a new dimension and with the turning of the pages, I could add the fact of progression and retrospection. I borrowed elements like text and images to create new work. I played with the nature of appropriation adding "a personal touch" letting layers interfere with each other. One can see that the new is situated on top of the previous. The result is multifaced. These Books advocate the interpretation of nature by looking at order and chaos, focussing on mixtures, mismatches, serendipity and reproduction. The theme "Marvellous Works" refers to "the College of the Six Days Works" presented by Francis Bacon in his fable "New Atlantis" 1626, marking the beginning of modern science and technology. I am passionate about the process of creation, looking for the nature or the science of Art: pinpointing at the Art of Art as a study instead of making works of Art.


12 March - 9 April 2008
GALERIE BUDDENBROOKS, "Book of Marvellous Works" Noordeinde 160, Den Haag, Nederland (solo exhibition)
Womb of Time (I)
2001-2005



After ten years of Art practicing, I had balanced between the material and the non material idea of art, visualizing these opposites as two-in-ones, like packages and contents. I had loved the making of Art, but I had lost its message, therefore I felt the need to free myself from materials. What was left was the waiting for a new direction, I prefered to be in the 'Womb of Time' instead of the 'World of Art'. It was a period of very little Art production and it has not resulted in a new theme. It has been a time of introspection. It gave me the opportunity to explore the internet and start the AfricanColours online community and platform for artists in Africa. In the meantime I could still continue to exhibit the works from the Invisible project.



1 - 8 March 2001 KUNSTWANDELROUTE, Stationsweg 152, Den haag, Nederland (group exhibition)

2 March - 1 April 2002 MEGASTORES, Den Haag, Nederland (group exhibition)

11 July - 26 August 2002
DE ZWARTE MADONNA, stichting begane kunst, Den Haag, Nederland (group exhibition)

November - December 2003 DE KEUK&, Groningen, Nederland duo exhibition with Liesbeth Topper
Invisible
1996-2001


With the Invisible project I focused on the dichotomy of the body and the soul. Living in Africa had changed my thoughts a lot, it gave my work a more spiritual character. Both arts and religion unveil a non-material world. The invisible site of life emerged to me.
I wanted to look for the timeless and unchangable source and learn to know more about "the patterns of life". The materials I used for this project were woven, like I believe that men's fate is woven. I made use of textile and all kinds of threads, beads, seeds and other organic materials.
Also, during this project I found many cloths (bodies) which I adapted to pieces of art (souls). While I was working in this female area of the magical art of thread, making all kinds of wall hangings, using no machine, creating everything by hand with needle and thread, I started to comprehend that the patterns of life were based on two main sources of power (lineair and circulair) and when I saw how these forces worked together, I could see the third and biggest source, known as the big One or God, as well.

31 August - 11 September 1996 A KERK, "AA Kunst", Groningen, Nederland (group exhibition)

Summer 1999 KUNSTHAL, "De Salon", Rotterdam, Nederland (group exhibition)

1 - 29 April 2000 GALERIE SIGN Groningen, Nederland. "Stofkleden", the magical effects of woman's arts of thread. (solo exhibition)

2 September - 1 October 2000 DE PRONKKOAMER, Saaxumhuizen, Nederland, (group exhibition)

29 October - 3 December 2000 KUNSTHUIS KEK, Epe, Nederland "De verborgen ziel", the veil,(duo exhibition with Liesbeth Topper)
Plastic for Ever
1994-1996



Plastic for Ever is a project whereby I solely used plastic objects to question Realness. People use the phrase "it is a plastic world" to stress the fakery in our society. I used to dislike the so-called unnatural aspects in life, I thought that authenticity was better than imitation, but while I was working on this project, my mind changed. I realized that the things people in our history would look upon as unreal had already become real to us in our contemporary world.

Those things are inevitable. Fiction turns into Reality. Fake can be real too! To mix up the themes and play with authenticity and realness, I made an installation : a bathroom filled with all kinds of silly plastic items. And so I was able to create the one and only, Real Plastic World.

7-12 November 1995 THE LOFT GALLERY, Windhoek, Namibia. "Plastic for Ever", a real showpiece of artificial life at (solo exhibition)

6 April - 5 Mei 1996 CENTRUM VOOR BEELDENDE KUNST, Groningen, Nederland. "Plastic for Ever". badkamerplastieken. (solo exhibition)

Package-Art
1989-1994


Package Art was my first Art project. When my son was one year old in 1983, I attended Minerva, the Academy of Arts in Groningen (Netherlands) to study Graphic Design. In 1985 my daughter was born and when she was one year old, I participated in the courses Typography and Computer Graphics at the Ecole National Superieur des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France. In 1989 I graduated in Groningen with giftwrappings and silkprint designs on paper.

Gradually I moved away from Design into Contemporary Art, using paper in combination with organical and other materials, developing a self taught style of collage and assemblage, 'bric-a-brac'. Inspired by the idea to make use of waste products and transform it into packages with a classical and ancient look and feel.

1989 "WinterWit" GALERIE GESCHUURD, Pieterburen, Nederland (solo exhibition)

March 1990 "Literaire geschenken" BOEKHANDEL ATHENA, Groningen, Nederland (solo exhibition)

18 May - 13 July 1991 GALERIE PUNTGAAF, "Beautifull Boxes", Groningen, Nederland (solo exhibition)

25 November - 30 December 1992 GALERIE PUNTGAAF, "Bon-Ton-Dozen", Groningen, Nederland (solo exhibition)

May 1992 "Fruitstukken" DE HORTUS, Haren, nederland (solo exhibition)

29 Maart - 29 Augustus 1994 WIJN MUSEUM, "Een Mantel ten Geschencke" Arnhem, Nederland (solo exhibition)

1994, 1998 Packaging Unwrapped, MACROPAK, Utrecht, Nederland (participation)