Did you have an artistic background? What leaded you to pursue your career in arts?

It was not immediately clear to me. I did not come from an artistic family and first started studying journalism. The creative crept up and never left. I took courses in the community center and then went to the free academy in The Hague. I experimented with shapes and techniques and slowly my “handwriting” was created, of which my use of color was the most important characteristic.

How do you think your experience of life has shaped your ambition, style and aesthetics?

Although I have been an artist for years, I have only taken a new path in recent years. I have not been able to work full-time with art. I have a family, so raised children and always had a paid job in addition to my artistry. It is then not easy to focus on art. Only now does my work take shape and has a constant concentration. Of course I bring my background and my experiences. I grew up in a Western European culture with all the cultural richness that goes with it. A stone’s throw away I have access to the most beautiful museums with work by the most famous artists. I worked for years in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, where I regularly walked between the Rembrandts and Vermeers. I carry that all along. It is not clear how it shaped my work, but it certainly plays a role.

What attracted you to use paper as a medium in creation? Is it ‘layering’? Your sparks of inspiration?

Long ago I started painting with acrylic paint, but I thought that was too limited. I was going to add paper to it. Slowly the relationship changed and paint took on a secondary role. I now use the (oil) paint only very transparent. Paper took over the lead role. I discovered that paper gives me a lot of freedom. You cannot work too precisely by tearing. It is one of the first techniques that you are taught as a toddler. By tearing and gluing, I always look for the right shape. I paint with paper. By working with different paper layers my work gets its own skin. I make sure that the underlying paper layers also remain visible.

Do you believe that your artistic career is allowing you more freedom, more independence from all the boundaries that are inevitable for non-artists, especially now in time of global pandemics?

The pandemic affects everyone, but as an artist the work comes from within, so you can always get started. The freedom to create is essential. Isolation is then not a problem. We have that privilege. The other side is that due to the pandemic many art shops are being arranged and shown online. Because of this you miss the real contact with the artwork and the physical experience. That is an impoverishment to be busy with art. Everything is now seen as an image.

How important is it for artists to circulate and visit different places? How did you choose Belgrade?

It is my first time working abroad. It is wonderful to be disconnected from ordinary life for a while. Also good to see what cultural life is like in a different place. Now that I have a taste for it, I want to insert such a foreign moment every year. The Balkans / Eastern Europe has always fascinated me. As part of Europe, it is still unknown to us Westerners. I used to go on holiday a few times in what was then Yugoslavia. The visit to Belgrade had never happened. I was curious about the historical presence in combination with a modern city and a new generation. I like the diversity in the city. I also like the studio and the area around it.

Did you find your inspiration in Belgrade? What are you working on?

Sure. I think Belgrade is a very inspiring city. I have the city in my heart, I enjoy every day that I am here. I walk everywhere. Make a lot of kilometres but this way I also see a lot. On the way, I take a lot of photos of different subjects that I save in my computer. Among other things, I am focused on chairs that are outside. Chairs where no one is seated but which have their own place. This has already been the inspiration for paintings I made here. I want to use the amount of photos in an exhibition afterwards. I also take photos of buildings, the street scene and people I see. I feel connected to the city. The large canvases I work on here include elements that I see in the city, in the street scene. Moreover, I collect paper here that I use in my canvases. I found all kinds of things, recipes, school notebooks, shopping notes and theater posters. It all became part of my new job. I enjoy the public life here; the pavement cafes in the streets and the parks full of people. It’s very lively and I enjoy being a part of it. I also met nice people.

You are portraying women of all kinds, all ages: what do you want to say about contemporary women through these paintings?

Rather, they become a kind of self-portraits that evoke an atmosphere or a feeling. It’s not specifically about me or about women. Women are a little closer to me, but actually the work is about the universal in people and the place they use and occupy. I took myself as a model in the series “Serbian woman” that I made here in Belgrade. Also because I was thrown back on myself here. On this series of 4 canvases, the women stand, sit or lie with details from the city as a background. I am particularly intrigued by the amount of fans and downspouts I see everywhere. These are therefore part of my work. The women are very present in my paintings. They show themselves in their uneasiness. Perhaps that is also the link with the women of today; they want to be more visible and heard. As a female artist I do this through my work. 

Are there any other topics you’d like to explore in your work?

The topics are always related to my main topic; the people and the place they occupy. It will always be subjects that are derived from that. For example, I also have a thing for chairs. I have photographed many here in Belgrade. I’ve captured hundreds of these so-called “lonely chairs” out on the street. Very fascinating if you start paying attention, you see them everywhere. Also objects from the street scene such as downspouts, fans, electricity boxes and murals. have become part of my facination and artwork.

How do you see yourself in the future?

I got the taste to move internationally with my art. I would very much like to see my art take on a life of its own and end up in places I have never thought of. That my art goes out into the world. It would be nice if I can have another exhibition here in Belgrade in the future

 Is there any sphere of art and life you’d like to get your hands on, and you haven’t already? 

I got the taste to move internationally with my art. I would very much like to see my art take on a life of its own and end up in places I have never thought of. That my art goes out into the world. It would be nice if I can have another exhibition here in Belgrade in the future

Any exciting projects?

I really like that I can conclude this period with an exhibition in a gallery. I hadn’t thought that beforehand. Together with my Polish neighbor Anna Jarosz, we can both show our work here. The collaboration with Anna is also nice. I will also stay away from home for at least 3 months, while also staying as an artist in residence in the neighboring countries Albania, Greece and Bulgaria That way I get even more impressions of the Balkans. I continue my journey and keep looking around me in the same way. When I return to the Netherlands around Christmas, I will prepare an exhibition that will be shown in the Netherlands in the spring. I am also in contact with an artist from Belgrade with whom I would like to make a joint exhibition / presentation sometime next year. This international cooperation could lead to a presentation here in Serbia, but then perhaps also in the Netherlands. We have to develop this plan even further over a cup of coffee.

Your message to future artists in residency in Belgrade…

Take to the streets, immerse yourself and enjoy the way of life here and the people you meet. Take your time. Sit and watch and be surprised. Belgrade has won me over. I love to come back to experience that great feeling again.