I’m writing!

Hello, dear visitor, follower, guest!

I would like to return to the exhibition ‘Tussen Zoeken en Vinden’ (Between Seeking and Finding) in the Grote Kerk in Epe, from 12 July to 30 August 2024. The title fits well with the work of the artists Wiebe van Dingen and Roel Ottow. Both work with ‘finds’; Wiebe mostly with finds from nature and Roel often with ‘ideas’. I already wrote about this in the previous post, but in the months that followed, my thoughts on it deepened. I would like to share that with you.

‘Wiebe can regularly be found in nature. Sometimes in the seclusion of the Veluwe forests and at other times in the space of the wide landscape beyond. It is precisely in that relaxed search for the unknown that the surprise lies: finding the material with which he makes his sculptures. Wounds in branches turn into human figures, expressive characters with a language that is their own, yet recognisable.’

The Grote Kerk in Epe, with its niches and murals, proved a wonderful setting for this exhibition. Because the doors stood open during opening hours, visitors, including many (international) holidaymakers, walked in easily. Enthusiastic reactions to the work on show and to the explanations were heard again and again. Mostly simple sentences that succinctly supported the meaning of the sculptures. The exhibition lasted seven weeks. The reactions to the written explanations were so meaningful that a fire was kindled in me. (No, not the fire that burned down a neighbouring church.)

I’m writing!
Prompted by the responses I received, I signed up for a writing course. I want to write a book. From January ’25 until the end of June I took part in a course that began in Northern Ireland, then moved to Scotland and ended in the south of England. The book is about art, my art. It begins with the description of the artwork “Omega” from this exhibition. After that, several more objects come into the spotlight.
Are those artworks really so special? Yes! But what makes them worth writing about? The combination of the sculptures and the reactions of visitors showed the depth of the impact it had: goosebumps, Gänsehaut! Both for me and for visitors. So it goes much further than ‘I think it’s beautiful’ or ‘interesting’. It was not only the eye that was delighted, but the heart as well. And for some it touched the soul. That led to great joy and a feeling of liberation. It is no secret that I sometimes connect biblical characters and stories with each other in my sculptures. That recognition is a bridge to connection. In future exhibitions I hope to continue creating that scent of recognition. In the autumn of ’24 my sculpture “Ik verberg mij” (I Hide Myself) was part of the exhibition “Zoals een mantel om je heengeslagen” (Like a Cloak Wrapped Around You) in the Jacobikerk in Utrecht. This title is taken from a song by the Revd Huub Oosterhuis. The large disc is birch, the three smaller figures are made of beech. This exhibition was organised by @PlatformKerkenKunst. Dimensions: 39x41x8 cm, weight: 3.5 kg.

On 29 March I was able to present prayer nuts in Glasgow, Scotland, at a large event: ‘The Send’. The Dutch edition is planned for 24 October 2026 in Utrecht. From 2 to 4 May in Bornem, Belgium, at the @ArtofFaithfestival, I led three workshops and three of my artworks were part of a large exhibition in the Abbey of Bornem.

In the spring I was approached with a request to carry out a special commission. A department within the Dutch armed forces asked me to make a memorial to commemorate colleagues who had died. It became a mega PRAYER NUT. The chaplain who approached me had been particularly surprised a few years ago when a colleague gave her a prayer nut during a deployment to Lithuania. The prayer nut became a travelling companion, giving the bond with home and with friends a tangible place. The commemoration was a solemn and warm moment. Families of former colleagues were given fitting support by the armed forces in the loss of their loved ones. I am grateful that I was able to contribute to this.

Dates for your diary:
2 August, Kloostermarkt (monastery market), Abdij Koningsoord, Johannahoeveweg 79, 6816 VG, Arnhem
6 September, art market, on Urk.