Artist's Statement

To be an artist has been my persistent drive. My work explores the multiple relationships between religion and visual arts. I express myself in painting and photography between other media. Last year I began a series of paintings, silk screens and etchings representing me as spiritual artist. In this series I express my spirituality through self portraits.

The starting point of my work is observing my surroundings, and searching for the spiritual in ordinary life. My experiences of spirituality, silence and the power of praying. This is what I want to visualize. I need silence to be able to reach myself. In silence God sends me images or ideas that I use in my art. For me silence is the best condition to produce art. Making self portraits is an experiment, not only plastically spoken, but also as a personal voyage. Discovering unknown parts of myself, I could show who I am.

An other source of inspiration is the work of other artists. I particularly admire Marlene Dumas, Tjebbe Beekman, Anselm Kiefer and Cindy Sherman. From Cindy Sherman I have learned how to use photographs to transform myself into other persons and in this way to make the spectator recognize something of themselves rather than me. Making self portraits I create stories where the spectators can recognised the spiritual in themselves. I want the people to feel my working process in silence. At the same time I want to transmit silence.

Usually I start by making photographs. They are like “sketches” and contain a moment and allow me to build up my work. I use the photographs to transform myself into an Icon (My existence in the shape of the cross). I make a choreography with my hands, to give life to the rigid form of the cross. Than, I use a pair of scissors to symbolise this cross. The working process is like an imaginary procession, in which each step and each brush stroke, leads to the spiritual pursuit. These experiments I use later in my paintings, etchings and silk screens.

I make self portraits in different media. I do experiments to find out which technique expresses my intentions the best. By transforming the photographs into other media, what is depicted becomes tangible because I am in contact with it. I start a painting on canvas, by drawing with a brush a general form. Thereafter I fill up the big surfaces and than I go into details. I only suggest what I see and feel in a photograph, I do not copy it literally. I look for the optimal way to express my emotions.

Creating this spiritual portrait has helped me to discover my deeper self

My Plans

I always dreamed to be special and the best. I always wanted to live abroad, to see the world. My big dream is to have a solo exhibition in a world famous contemporary art museum, such as Moma in New York, or Tate Modern in London. It is my desire to exhibit my artwork in other art museums from all over the world. Also, I want to participate in important art biennales, art fairs, art galleries, residences, workshops and giving lectures to art students. I want to publish my artworks in different international art magazines. I dream to colaborate with the artists that inspired me like Anselm Kiefer, Tjebbe Beekman, Cindy Sherman, Marlene Dumas. My ideal way of living is to have a stable place, preferably a building where several artists have their ateliers. I like to be surrounded by other artists with whom I can exchange ideas, opinions about art, and exhibit together. My wish is to spend most of my time doing art and to get a steady income from the artworks that I sell. I want to become a world recognised artist.

Now I live in The Netherlands in a small room that is my atelier and place to sleep. I work as a volunteer at different art associations. I spend most of my time studying in order to obtain my Hbo degree. To fulfil my dream I will combine my art activity with teaching, giving workshops, lectures to art institutions. I will search for galleries that can represent me as an artist in art fairs. Also, I will apply for participating in international art biennales. In this way I try to become more recognised. As a member of International DinA4 project I had already the chance to present my artworks in group exhibitions in Europe and Latin America.

For me as a painter it is obligatory to develop continuously, to keep on researching and investigating evolutions in art and in society in general. This I want to do by traveling, reading art books and magazines, visiting contemporary art museum.

Art is my vocation, its my way of life. I want to become a value in the international art scene.