stitched paintings

My work refers not only to abstract art and minimalism but also to everyday life through the examination of the sensuality of fabrics. During my period at the Rijksacademie I became fascinated by the vulnerable beauty of  virgin  canvas. When canvas is seen as fabric, it reminds us of textiles that cover the skin; like clothing or fabric that covers you while you sleep, that keeps you warm, that feels familiar. This alluring intimacy allowed me to introduce into my work other textiles besides canvas, such as velvet, terry cloth, cotton and textiles with flower patterns. 

Similar to art, fabric is part of our surroundings. In one of my works, I created a small black square that reminds us of the Black Square by Malevitch. In another work I used Matisse’s parrot, in a way that is similar to the work by Daan van Golden. But mainly the works are interwoven with each other, connected intricately by threads. Because the works are interconnected through thousands of stitches, all connections are concrete as well.

films and television

On the sunday before my first day at the Rietveld art academy in Amsterdam I had had my first television appearance as an interviewer for the broadcasting company VPRO. After several years of combining working for television with studying at the art academy, I started to produce my own art films. In the first years I mainly made short fiction films that were shown in art film houses and film festivals worldwide, later on developing more documentary oriented films that were also shown on television.

Film is editing, shaping the material into one component until it has become a meaningful and finished entity. This principle is the same in my stitched paintings "shaping the material into one component until it has become a meaningful and finished entity". In my films I research essential themes such as time, the relation between body and spirit, identity. In both films and stitched paintings there is purity and calmness, with extra attention for the senses so the works have a certain sensuality to them.
Currently the stitched paintings are my main object.