My artistic principles

I consider myself to be first and foremost a textile artist. I have a deep love for textile as a material to connect and bring across messages and emotions. I have explored many different forms and techniques of textiles making, but making tapestries in patchwork collage technique is what I do mostly, next to that I create soft sculptures in different shapes and sizes. I create stories in textiles that not only speak about the importance of humanity but also celebrate the value and possibilities of textiles. In general, my practice evolves around softness and awareness, these things to me are the most important. I think that my ultimate motivation is to stimulate attention and engagement with a poetic approach. Form my own struggles and searches I try to create openness to investigate a way to achieve emotional solace.

I have a great interest in graphic design, visual culture and advertisements, and a great love for character design, mascots and doll making. All these elements come together in worlds that I shape in which my characters live and invite the viewer to connect. These worlds reflect on the world that aim for us humans to live in, A safe space for us to develop ourselves and our emotional strengths.
For these worlds and stories, I use an array of techniques, Drawings and paintings, graphics, glass art, sculpture, costumes, ceramics, and porcelain art, they converge in an opulent world focusing on self-love, queerness, hope, sensuality and safety.

In my work I aim to unify and create a safe space for myself and others, in which we can take time to look at ourselves and embrace our emotions. With my practice, I tried to inspire people to pay attention, living and acting with attention towards others, but also towards materials, towards our society, our climate, and our cultures is very important to me. My work is vibrant and colourful, but it also has a serious undertone. You could consider it as a guide to how we can function in this world.

With my work, I try to achieve a broader notion of looking at gender, I think that masculinity and femininity are so much framed, that it leaves not much space for people to enjoy the individuality, I think gender norms are so extremely guiding, that it is difficult for people to enjoy gender. Next to this topic I actively participate on strengthening the voice of queer artist within the broader art community. I have noticed that a lot of the stories that are being told in our art history are extremely heteronormative and male orientated, I’m really missing a queer voice in art history, and I aim to contribute to queer perspectives in the whole of the art world.
I believe that it’s a are many ways to appreciate and look at beauty in this world. I try to address the way we look at beauty and aesthetics, alternative ways of appearance need to be celebrated, and I hope to contribute to a more accepting and play for society in which everybody can find their own joy and positivity.

My creative entrepreneurship

I have graduated from art school in 2001 and went on to pursuit a master education, after which I have started my studio in 2005, I will give a brief insight in the steps of my career thus far.

I initially graduated and worked as a fashion designer. I worked on my fashion practice from 2003 until 2015 and did so in a unique and outspoken way. My work was very recognisable and gained a lot of appreciation. It led to a lively career and several awards. I have shown in national and international fashion weeks and worked as a freelance designer and art director, also I got the opportunity to work on several commercial collaborations. Around my collections I created video art, music, magazines, graphic and print design, a multi-disciplinary approach which exuded creativity and was boundary breaking.

From 2015 on I have gradually developed my practice into a fine art focused direction. At first by broadening my vision of collection making into one that combines haute couture outfits and textile art pieces. But also, during my 2016 first big retrospective exhibition I have used the museum environment to create new works in a variety of techniques, to learn about other ways to use my voice and the platforms I utilise.

In 2018 I have stopped making collections to fully focus on my new direction. This period has been a very transformative period, in which my ways of working a thinking have shifted into a more transformational and internal way of working. I have been on AIR to Tokyo and Los Angeles in 2018, this has proven to be truly life changing, I made an enormous shift in my work process, it was very giving, and inspirational. Ever since I have participated in several other AIR programs in the Netherlands and abroad, I have discovered so much about myself, but I have also discovered that these work period on an artist in residence program are very important to me.

in 2026 I had a large retrospective at Rijksmuseum Twenthe in the Netherlands focussing on my autonomous art, and many work created during my AIR periods are on display. I would love to continue this development and travel again. I am proud to look back at the last 10 years, but I am also looking forward and making plans and embrace new goals and possibilities.