My work is about the boundary between humans and nature. Right now, a renewed love and interest in nature coexist with—and are even born from—the suffocating prospect of its potential and disastrous loss. I try to express this in my paintings by creating an ambivalence in which long-standing certainties tremble and what we (love) have becomes visible at the point we are about to lose it. What we miss in language, I seek in color, imagination, form, and line.  

In addition to my own art practice, I am a workshop leader at Stichting de Vrolijkheid at the asylum seekers’ center (AZC) in Utrecht. I work there in the art lab with children aged 8-12 years. Additionally, I am guiding the design of a light sculpture for the upcoming Sint Maarten Parade (which takes place every year in Utrecht) with the same group of children.

How did the painting go?

I have received nothing but positive reactions from passersby and local residents. People on their regular walks, with or without dogs, followed the progress and expressed their appreciation every time. Bus passengers often stopped briefly on their way to the stop or home. The neighborhood children were curious and found it beautiful. Sometimes, a car or cyclist would stop just to shout “beautiful” or “good job.” A resident even offered me coffee, and I received many questions about whether other cabinets in different streets could also be painted.

What stood out to me the most was how grateful everyone was for the splash of color in their neighborhood. Additionally, I was touched by the project’s unifying effect: residents of different ages and groups engaged in conversations with each other and with me about the cabinets, the parade, their street, and especially about what is beautiful and what is not. This is what one cabinet transformed into a canvas can do.

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