Artist Statement

My artistic practice explores the fleeting, dreamlike nature of memories and the elusive experience of loss. I translate these themes into paintings and atmospheric installations, intuitively and emotionally navigating subjects such as the vulnerability of the body, the Dutch landscape, memory, and fantasy. At the heart of my work lies my painting practice, where a love for colour and rhythm plays a central role. The use of colour in my paintings captures a particular atmosphere I experience during a period in my life; this is how series with specific colour patterns and rhythms emerge. These choices reflect transitional phases in my life - the layering of colours also resembles vibrations, interwoven with layers of longing, fantasy, and deeper memories of loss.

Since 2024, I have been intrigued by the use of colour in paintings and its connection to the rhythm and tones of singing. This fascination led to the diptych Songs between the Trees & When the Flowers Start Their Humming, which I consider a significant turning point in my artistic development. The rhythmic and abstract basic forms, repeating with subtle variations throughout the diptych, symbolize the transformation of anxious thoughts into softer, musical sounds. Here, I refer to scientific studies that show how singing and humming can have a positive effect on anxiety. By visually representing this musical transformation, I aimed to create a similarly calming effect.

I continued to built on these works when I began researching the connection between the songs of endangered bird species and the emotional layering of oil paintings. I grew up with stories about rare birds: I heard about the kingfisher, often found in river-rich areas, and the highly endangered black-tailed godwit, which inhabits the characteristic polder landscapes of the Netherlands. During my field research on these birds and their songs, my palette was nourished by the colours of the Dutch landscape, where the cold, blue tones of the sky at sunset gradually blend into warm, pink and orange hues. These colour transitions, which I observed in the dunes of The Hague and the landscapes of Overijssel, became a major inspiration for the series of paintings I presented in my recent solo exhibition, Zachte Drempel (Supported by Stroom Den Haag).

Intuitively, my paintings evolve into installations and sculptures, translating the atmosphere and colours of the two-dimensional work into spatial aspects. Sometimes, the paintings themselves enter the space, forming connections with driftwood and rope installations, as in the painting Vreemde Vogels (transl. Strange Birds). These birds resemble storks, but they are actually the black-tailed godwits I mentioned earlier: highly endangered waders with distinctive orange feathers around their necks. Through the awareness of their potential loss, they transform in my paintings into mythical beings that emerge from their surroundings - so large that they physically look down on their observers, yet at the same time they seem to cautiously approach and seek connection.

CV

Education

2017 – 2021
Fine Arts Bachelor
Koninklijke Academie van de Beeldende Kunsten (KABK)
The Hague, The Netherlands

2019 – 2020
Exchange semester Japan,
Tokyo Zokei University
Tokyo, Japan

2016 – 2017
Pre-Education
Gerrit Rietveld Academy
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Exhibitions

2026

After Hours
Group show, hosted by Rat Radio and Dooorp
Museum Beelden aan Zee
Den Haag (NL)

Zachte Drempel
Solo exhibition
See Lab Projectspace
Den Haag (NL)

2025

Visible around a thin surface
Solo exhibition
HaagsPianoHuis
Den Haag (NL)

Inside Out
Group show
See Lab Projectspace
Den Haag (NL)

ReA! Art Fair
OPOS
Milan (IT)

Phantom Memorabilia
Duo show
See Lab Projectspace
Den Haag (NL)

2024

trees, stones, reeds
Group show
Taidetila Muijala Art Space
Reila (FI)

A Summer’s Tale
Group show
Josilda da Conceição
Amsterdam (NL)

I grew up on an island with only three directions
Group show
Josilda da Conceição
Amsterdam (NL)

2023

Forgotten Artworks
Group show
See Lab
Scheveningen (NL)

Love after Love
Group show
The Green Room (Amsterdam, NL)

Curated by Wumen
1000 Shape-Shifting Chocolate Chips
Group show
Laak (Den Haag, NL)
Organised by Milk & Cereals

WHITE
Group show
Gallery Nono
The Hague (NL)

2022

But, s/he indorsed the sheen
Group show
Publication launch & reading performance: Humming and mumbling - The volatility of whispers
Sirius Initiative Amsterdam, Vrij Paleis Amsterdam (NL)

Leftover Lunch
Group show
ROBIN tent, Singapore (SG)

Why don’t we?
Group show
Gallery Nono, The Hague (NL)

2021

On Your Own – 5
De Haagse Kunstkring
The Hague (NL)

Dreamland
Art The Hague, The Hague
Curated by Niek Schoenmakers (NL)

2121 Time Capsule
Goodbuy Gallery, Bucharest(RO)
Curated by Christian Roncea

Maelstrom - KABK Graduation Show
KABK, The Hague (NL)
Nomination: Fine Arts Department Award

Grants awarded

2025
Stroom Den Haag, Pro Invest
Stroom Den Haag, SPOT Individual exhibition – ReA! Art Fair

2024
Amarte Fonds, funding for artistic development
Mondriaan Fonds, Voucher development

Residencies

2025
ÖRES residency program
Örö island, Finland

2024
Taidetila Muijala, Art Space and Artist Residency
Reila, Finland

Curatorial work and projects

2024
The Third Passage
Solo-exhibition Annabelle Schatteman
See Lab
The Hague, NL

2024
Netting and Waiting
Group exhibition, co-curated with Elina Alekseeva
See Lab
The Hague, NL
link to the article

2024
Fields of Air
Solo-exhibition of Cyrill Rafael Vasilyev, co-curated with Elina Alekseeva,
See Lab
The Hague, NL
link to the article

2023
Een Aardse Herinnering / An Earthly Memory
Solo-exhibition Sjuul Joosen
See Lab
The Hague, NL

2023
Onderstroom / Undercurrent
Solo-exhibition Lili Berger
See Lab
The Hague, NL
link to the article

2023
Forgotten Artworks
Co-Curator with Elina Alekseeva
See Lab
The Hague, NL

2023
1000 Shape-Shifting Chocolate Chips
Curated Group Show with Milk and Cereals artist initiative and Wumen Ghua
LAAK projectspace
The Hague, NL

2023
Textile - drawing sublimation evening
Milk and Cereals fundraising event
The Balcony
The Hague, NL

Other mentions

2022 – ongoing
Member of programming committee Stichting See Lab
Scheveningen (NL)

2022 – ongoing
Attendant at RADIUS CCA
Centre for contemporary art & ecology
Delft (NL)

2022 – 2023
Guest lecturer of honours courses ‘Leiden: City of Refugees’ (2022) and ‘Climbing the wall of empathy’ (2023) at Leiden University

Reviews & articles

2025
Al via la V Edizione di ReA! Art Fair
Platform: Flash Art Italia
link to the article

2024
Anne Jonker, ‘Retrotopia’
Platform: Crafting Resilience
link to the article

2023
‘Jonge kunstenaars shape-shiften hun kunstpraktijk’
(28/02/2023) written by Vincent ‘t Sas
Website: Jegens & Tevens
link to the article

2022
‘Rizoom Takeover #206 Catelijne Boele’
(16/05 - 20/05, 2022) written by Esther van Zoelen,
link to the article

2021
‘Graduation Shows 2021 - KABK The Hague’
Website: Metropolis M
Den Haag, Nederland
link to the article

2021
‘Op naar de jungle van het kunstenaarsbestaan!’
Website: Villa Repubblica
Den Haag, Nederland
link to the article

2021
Website: Villa Next Door 2
Den Haag, Nederland
link to the article