The Soul needs Experiences

Two days ago I started to investigate a new line of work. At this stage I am in discovery mode which combines excitement about a new idea, a trembling heart about all the uncertainty it involves, sturdy attention in following the process, awe sometimes, rejection sometimes, small episodes of exhaustion and depression, doubts, fears and joy. Actually I think that every piece of art, every expression of art should include all of it and more. Art is the expression of soul and the soul wants to have experiences.

Visiting art galleries I often ask myself what makes a piece of visual art “good”. This can be very tricky to determine because there seems to be an almost random ingredient to it. Apart from elements like context (often the place) and intellectual manipulation (often the verbal capacities of the presenter) there is also an inherent component of the piece of art, which makes it good or not. Does it move the heart or not? I think that some very intellectual art can enchant the heart as well – but when it is only brainy, who is moved?

It is true that contemporary art is very different from all the other art forms. Music, architecture, literature, theatre, ballet, poetry, film - all need very good technical skills as a base. Contemporary art does not necessarily, although in my opinion, it helps. Even now there are more traditional art schools but students don’t usually go to an art school to learn skills. It is more about having a good idea and be able to defend it. I find it sometimes disconcerting how visually uninteresting an artwork can be and still find its way to the public. Usually a lengthy exposé comes with it which seems to be able to seduce certain people. My soul has very little patience with these kind of creations. She needs to be intrigued visually first and it is all the better if she is intellectually as well.

Exploration with wool fibers and color

Poetry - Marianne Moore - 1887-1972

I too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond
      all this fiddle.
   Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one
      discovers that there is in
   it after all, a place for the genuine.
      Hands that can grasp, eyes
      that can dilate, hair that can rise
         if it must, these things are important not because a

high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but because
      they are
   useful; when they become so derivative as to become
      unintelligible, the
   same thing may be said for all of us—that we
      do not admire what
      we cannot understand. The bat,
         holding on upside down or in quest of something to

eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a tireless
      wolf under
   a tree, the immovable critic twinkling his skin like a horse
      that feels a flea, the base-
   ball fan, the statistician—case after case
      could be cited did
      one wish it; nor is it valid
         to discriminate against “business documents and

school-books”; all these phenomena are important. One must
      make a distinction
   however: when dragged into prominence by half poets,
      the result is not poetry,
   nor till the autocrats among us can be
     “literalists of
      the imagination”—above
         insolence and triviality and can present

for inspection, imaginary gardens with real toads in them,
      shall we have
   it. In the meantime, if you demand on the one hand, in defiance of their opinion—
   the raw material of poetry in
      all its rawness, and
      that which is on the other hand,
         genuine, then you are interested in poetry.

From Others for 1919: An Anthology of the New Verse, edited by Alfred Kreymborg. This poem is in the public domain.

The poet Marianne Moore

Hawaii and Leis

In 2012 I traveled to Hawaii to participate at the HICE conference (Hawaiian International Conference for Education) where I presented a paper on the everyday work of art. It had been the first time to talk about this topic in public, which is very close to my heart. My dear friend Roy Tamashiro whom I had met the year before in Barcelona on a conference for Museums for Peace and who is an unstoppable peace activist (in the kindest way) had invited me to join his panel. The stay became an unforgettable experience.

Roy being Hawaiian of Japanese origin became my guide for the few weeks in early January, during which I could discover many special places of the paradise islands Oahu, Big Island and Kawaii. I was also fortunate to meet the extraordinary Japanese painter and activist Mayumi Oda. Next to this tiny woman I felt even miniscule. She is a true woman in the powerful, earthly and sensitive sense. Needless to say, my life changed after this travel. Back in Brussels I organized an exhibition “Bowls for Peace” with three ceramic artists and created “Leis for Peace”, inspired by the Flower garlands, which are offered in Hawaii to honor people and events.

These Leis became a mindful practice for me, inscribing each paper circle with intentional words, cutting one by one with small nail scissors and crafting them into a paper Lei.

I am still making paper Leis for special occasions - marriage, special birthdays and life endings - or beginnings. It is a “practice” and almost a legacy for which I feel deep gratitude.

Lei noir 2012

White Lei 2012

White Lei 2012

Peace Lei 2012

Rainbow Lei 2016

Rainbow Lei 2017

Some drawings from an earlier time

Madrid has always been my capital of inspiration. I love this city! When I moved there in 2002, I had been fascinated by the raw life of the people in the parks and streets. These are a few drawings from that time and also some about a personal mishap. Drawings have rarely been a means of expression for me; most of these are studies for paintings. There is something about the white paper, which is causing a terrible shyness within me. Like a young lover whose open mouth does not emit any sound, my hand does not move. A drawing needs to be of the highest purity for me, and as I can just not imagine the first, second or third line, nothing comes. Therefore I need the support of something to draw and study and nothing more, without pretense. This is also why I am very happy having found embroidery, because here I can draw without white paper and pencil.

The dancer of the Retiro

Old woman

Old Woman

Old Woman

Waiting for the bus

Waiting for the bus

Self portrait with crotches

Coming out of the shower

Déplacement lourd

Wanting to be mean

A few paintings from earlier times

When I discovered painting in 1993, it made me the happiest person in the world. I just wanted to apply oil paint with a brush on a canvas and that was it. Did I not have any ambition? Maybe it was humility? There I was, holding a brush in my hands, standing in front of a canvas, smelling the aromatic perfume of oil paints and putting colors on a prepared fabric. I could have been in a church being married to God - it felt like it. Never again I wanted to be separated from that sacred feeling. It had been a mystery and a mystical experience - until it was over. The paintings here are from a later period. After the initial phase of complete bliss, I fell into a creative hole and had difficulties to escape from it. I resolved to go studying arts and find tools, which would help me during artistically meager periods. Did I find tools? I don’t think so, not really. Through the years and the struggles, I found the trust, that there will always be inspiration and that it is possible to take it from there, one step at a time.

Malaga beach 2001

Henri Jacobstraat Amsterdam 2000

Chinatown NYC 2003

IFEMA Madrid 2003

Retiro 2003

Lanzarote 2003

Man with toothstick 2004

Retiro Dancer 2004

La Canebière Marseille 2005

Indian Mermaid 2005 with a curious Robin

Eye of the Indian Mermaid, embroidery

Parc de Bruxelles 2007, painting with embroidery

Gardens of change

Following my travel to Hawaii I stopped painting, gave up my studio and took up a course in Garden design. The amazing gardens with their lusher than lush vegetation in Hawaii had stroke the bass cords within me and I couldn’t add another painting to this world of overabundant paintings. It would be much more beneficial to add gardens to our planet, where nature is eliminated every second manifold. I love nature, gardens, trees, flowers, water and peace (of my mind at least, who is a natural thinker)! And then my younger sister died and brought me back to creating (small things). I feel somehow that I am doing work for both of us now.

Tiny garden

A garden is in the smallest house

Wall garden

Bells to remember

Dewdrop (She)

The glistening drop is pearling into my open mouth. I care to not squeeze her with my tongue but keep her unbroken.

unbroken, whole, entire, complete, undamaged, unharmed, uninjured, unimpaired, unflawed, faultless, flawless, unscathed, untouched, unspoiled, unmutilated, unsevered, unblemished, unmarred, unmarked, perfect, pristine, inviolate, unviolated, undefiled, unsullied, in one piece, sound, solid

(AHM 2019)

The glistening drop (Jewelry for men)

Rebecca Horn – Impressions from an exhibition (Centre Pompidou Metz, December 2019)

Thick red hair cut simultaneously with

2 rough scissors by the artist herself.

I am shivering inside, i feel it in my teeth, i have to close my eyes half.

Sharp or not sharp,

the pointed blades are passing in front of her eyes.

A strange creature is walking through a field

What is it? An animal? Human being escaped from the hospital?

Some kind of hybrid of both? It comes closer and reveals a woman naked,

Strapped into a corset, which makes me feel anxious inside.

It would be lovely to change into a unicorn in a way;

but this costume looks uncomfortable in its clinical bondage fashion,

balancing a uniqu-horn on her head.

Still I can feel the warmth of the summer day and the freedom,

walking through a field – naked.

Long extended fingers reaching towards the floor

What is she trying to do, trying to reach ?

It looks inefficient – or maybe not.

At least she does not have to bend down on her knees.

I am trying to imagine how it must feel in my fingers

When touching a thing so far away and through inanimate sticks.

Fascinating that some kind of sensory transmition is possible that way.

If I’d put it on,

a soft, white, feathery mask would be hiding my head.

I want to have it – it feels good

inside of its protective soothing, smoothing qualities,

like the sweetest stroke of motherly hands

or the belly of my cat, in which I nestle my face.

A grand piano hanging upside down from the ceiling

with a huge, dangerous mouth and teeth coming out

to attack, who comes too close.

Big beast ready to devour or to clash down

to bury my body under its massive resonating noise.

This is an art fragile strong courageous

and very ingenious.  It comes from lived pain and a poetic mind

not holding back to go deep and forward.

There is much humor in the craziness of life.

Beyond intellectual art I come to my senses

There is something about innovation and art. Art historians point to Renaissance as a turning point in the history of art, when Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were maybe the first artists who actively and deeply explored the possibilities of art, representation and in Leonardo’s case even of science. Artists began to define themselves as a more special « species » than artisans (at least) and started to be celebrated like stars.

It took five centuries until the representational skills dissolved into the emotional representation of the surroundings with Impressionism and still 100 years until art reached the mind and became highly intellectual.

This development makes very much sense of course – humanity in general became more and more mind driven until we reach now a new breaking point. We find that we cannot sustain our species by purely advancing technology and securing our comfort through intellectual focus.

In art there is a huge comeback of craft, figuration and landscape and other nature topics - in design as well. If artists are the forerunners of social movements, as they are often seen, maybe there is hope? Is the art world finally getting bored with the intellect, opening up to more complete expressions with the integration of the « lower » (heart, body, nature) worlds?

Maybe in some tangible future we will stop looking for separation and gluing labels, trying to find security in small drawers and imprisoning ourselves in our small, known lives. In my own strivings I see a development in that sense. I am choosing now to throw most of my experiences, skills, techniques and materials into one pot, pulling out what is needed to create something new. Starting erasing the separation lines and allowing myself to feel vulnerable, even if it hurts?  

The last Judgment, 1536-1541 Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel Vatican, Rome

“The work is of such beauty that your excellency can imagine that there is no lack of those who condemn it. . . . To my mind it is a work unlike any other to be seen anywhere.” Reported the Roman agent of Cardinal Gonzaga of Mantua after its unveiling in 1541. (khanacademy.org )

Drawing of Human Fœtus, 1511, Leonardo da Vinci

The study correctly depicts the human fetus in its proper position inside a dissected uterus. Da Vinci depicted the uterus with one chamber, in contrast to theories that the uterus had multiple chambers which many believed divided fetuses into separate compartments in the case of twins. Da Vinci also correctly drew the uterine artery and the vascular system of the cervix and vagina. Wikipedia

Nympéas, 1914-1926, Monet

The Water lily series of Monet represent an articulate example of the very emotional vision of Impressionist Artists. There is a dissolution of the object into patches of light, shadow and colors which in a way comes much closer to the more contemporary vision of physics – Everything is Energy! This impressionist energy speaks directly to the heart of the viewer.

Fountain, 1917, Duchamp

« Mutt comes from Mott Works, the name of a large sanitary equipment manufacturer. But Mott was too close so I altered it to Mutt, after the daily cartoon strip "Mutt and Jeff" which appeared at the time, and with which everyone was familiar. Thus, from the start, there was an interplay of Mutt: a fat little funny man, and Jeff: a tall thin man... I wanted any old name. And I added Richard [French slang for money-bags]. That's not a bad name for a pissotière. Get it? The opposite of poverty. But not even that much, just R. MUTT. » Duchamp

(and there might be another juicy story of a very different author behind one of the most famous works of Art of the 20th century. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/29/marcel-duchamp-fountain-women-art-history)

Le Décor et son Double, 1986, Daniel Buren

Daniel Buren is a French conceptual artist whose work lies at the crossroads of sculpture, installation and painting, as well as action and intervention. He came to fame in Paris with the B.M.P.T. group (the initials of Buren, Mosset, Parmentier and Toroni) in 1966-67 and continued to develop a critique of the art establishment. Buren appropriated a standard format fabric motif of 8.75 cm-wide vertical stripes (which alternate between white and a color) as a visual instrument, or sign, to ‘expose’. https://www.xavierhufkens.com/artists/daniel-buren

Black Rain, 2019, Shiaru Shiota

Shiota's oeuvre links various aspects of art performances and installation practices. Mostly renown for her vast, room-spanning webs of threads or hoses, she links abstract networks with concrete everyday objects such as keys, windows, dresses, shoes, boats and suitcases. Besides installation works, she frequently collaborates with choreographers and composers such as Toshio Hosokawa, Sasha Waltz and Stefan Goldmann for opera, concert and dance projects. (Wikipedia)

Rembembering Caroline 2018, Annette Mann

We will always remember nature, 2019, Annette Mann

My way of giving tribute to nature is creating textile sculptures which remind of her beauty and diversity.

Je suis un peu amoureuse de Meret Oppenheim

Je suis un peu amoureuse de Meret Oppenheim depuis plus de 30 ans. A l‘époque je vivais à Paris, travaillais comme Mannequin et commençais à m’intéresser pour l’art contemporain. Presque tous les jours j’allais à Drouot pour découvrir ce qui allait se vendre ou pas dans les ventes publiques.

A côté des visites à Drouot je visitait les musées, les galeries et les foires de l’art – il y avait une masse incroyable d’œuvres de toutes les époques possibles mais aujourd’hui je ne me rappelle de rien en particulier, à part ci et là des artistes qui me parlaient plus que d’autres et qui m’ont intéressé davantage par la suite.

Il y a une exposition - dans la galerie Karsten Greve - qui m’est restée dans l’esprit  – je me rappelle d’une tasse, d’une soucoupe et d’une cuillère recouverte de fourrure et je me rappelle du nom Meret Oppenheim.

Objet ou “Le déjeuner en fourrure” de Meret Oppenheim

Cette œuvre et le nom ont laissé une impression indélébile dans mon esprit plus qu’aucune autre pour je ne sais quelle raison. Quelque chose en elle m’a connectée, m’a émue, m’a fait rêvée,  m’a transportée.  Je ne pense pas qu’il faut chercher les raisons profondes et encore moins essayer de trouver la « vérité véritable » aux attirances et émotions. Se laisser porter est sûr de mener quelque part. 

 Cette tasse de porcelaine couverte de fourrure ma montré un nouveau chemin, elle était à la fois une surprise comme un rappel, quelque chose de familier et de rare, il y avait une forte attirance et un léger goût de dégoût. Il y a une magie qui émane de cette tasse comme il y a une magie qui émane de Meret Oppenheim elle-même. Je trouve chez elle la profondeur et la légèreté,  la féminité et la masculinité, l’humanité et le spirituel, la liberté et le confinement, la force et la fragilité.

 La première exposition en 1936 de cette création ensorcelante, qu’elle appelait « Objet » a trouvé un succès instantané. Le Musée de l’art Moderne de New York l’achetait pour sa collection et presque du jour au lendemain la toute jeune Meret Oppenheim de 23 ans était connue comme artiste surréaliste jusqu’aux Etats-Unis et cette étiquette est restée jusqu’ à présent comme d’autres étiquettes d’ailleurs.

 « Surréaliste », « sensuelle », « érotique », « libre »  - ce sont celles que je trouve souvent (pas seulement) et je ne veux pas dire que c’est faux mais cela me paraît aussi un peu creux. Oui, il émanait une énergie très particulière d’elle. Quand je vois la magnifique photo qui la montre nue devant la caméra de Man Ray – elle me semble comme une fleur rare qu’on a envie de posséder tandis qu’il est évident qu’elle restera à elle-même. Elle expose sa vulnérabilité, sa délicatesse comme une précieuse porcelaine. On veut la prendre de force parce qu’elle s’évade et aussi la couvrir, la protéger.

« Objet » c’est le titre choisi de M.O. pour la tasse, « le Déjeuner en fourrure » celui d’André Breton. L’œuvre est connue par le deuxième nom, mais « Objet » me paraît plus juste. Peut-être il s’agit d’un autoportrait intuitif, un instantané de la très jeune artiste-femme, juive en 1936, qui s’aventure à Paris en artiste encore peu éduquée et très ouverte, cherchant la vie, la profondeur, la liberté, sa propre identité. 

Erotique voilée, Meret Oppenheim à la presse chez Louis Marcoussis , 1933 Man Ray

Quand j’ai découvert « Objet », j’avais le même âge, j’étais au même endroit, je me suis lancé dans la vie d’une manière un peu aveugle, j’ai cherché l’art et moi. Cette peau de fourrure, je pense aujourd’hui qu’elle m’a semblé très appropriée à l’époque.

Et il y a d’autres interprétations plus sinistres, comme celle de Will Gompertz, ex-directeur de la Tate Modern, par exemple : « The sexual connotations of Object (Le Déjeuner en Fourrure) are obvious: drinking from the furry cup is an explicit sexual reference. But there is much more to it than a saucy joke. The image of a fur-lined cup and spoon would not be out of place in the first chapter of any book about anxiety nightmares, in which any pretense of being in control is subverted by sinister happenings. In this instance, a cup and spoon has grown hair, turning objects from which one should derive relaxation and pleasure into something aggressive, unpleasant and faintly disgusting. It has connotations of bourgeoise guilt: for wasting time gossiping in cafés and mistreating beautiful animals (the fur is from a Chinese gazelle). It is also an object designed to engender madness. Two incompatible materials have been brought together to create one troubling vessel. Fur is pleasing to touch, but horrible when you put it in your mouth. You want to drink from the cup and eat from the spoon—that is their purpose—but the sensation of the fur is too repulsive. It’s a maddening cycle. »

Ayant vu M.O. parler de sa première grande œuvre ou encore d’autres personnes proche d’elle – cette vision paraît plutôt lourde.  Un après-midi M.O. prend le thé avec Picasso et Dora Maar au Café de Flor; les deux artistes sont charmés par un bracelet recouvert de fourrure que M.O. avait crée pour Elsa Schiaparelli, Picasso fait la remarque qu’il aime tout ce qui est recouvert de fourrure et M.O. répond avec une boutade.  C’est un peu osé - le grand artiste provocateur et la jeune artiste-proie – qui se moque et qui ne tombe pas ! Il me semble qu’ »Objet » a été crée avec légèreté et audace, venant de l’inspiration du moment, d’une boutade initiée par Picasso, menée plus loin par M.O. et finalement réalisée avec un sens de provocation pour une exposition dans la galerie Charles Ratton. Il faut même se demander si elle est réellement « surréaliste ».  Pour moi il n’est pas clair si une œuvre surréaliste doit être créée avec cette intention ou si elle peut être viscérale. Meret Oppenheim était une femme, fascinée et inspirée par les rêves et dans ce sens on pourrait dire que le surréalisme vivait probablement en elle et que donc son art est surréaliste. Mais pour moi le surréalisme a souvent quelque chose d’un peu artificiel et l’œuvre de Meret Oppenheim se présente à moi plus spontané et plus naturel.

Meret Openheim, Fashion and Art

Did you ever hear about Ikebana ?

If you are like me, your mother once came home when you were 15 – proudly showing off a small arrangement of flowers in a flat vase which were keeping upright or inclined on a device called Kenzan, but that she didn’t know. She had participated at a 2 hour Ikebana workshop and loved the experience. You didn’t because you couldn’t see the added value – you preferred the natural flowers picked in the fields. Fast forward almost 40 years – Ikebana ? No, you would never think about even investigating the subject – the one time experience had left a too heartbreaking – or boring – experience.

If you are like me, some words leave a mark in your heart, you don’t even know why. You reject it for a long long time, you bury it under heaps of stuff, oblivious to the seed still there.

If you are like me, one day you do some research about an unrelated topic and you see some green. What is this weed doing there ? and you follow it. All of a sudden an amazing thing is standing in front of you - you hold your breath – what’s THAT??? Ikebana.  

Ikebana arrangement inspired by and honoring immigrants shipwrecking at sea

Silk Leaf Embroidery

Silk satin, vintage silk threat and glass pearls

Working with this smooth silk fabric is a tiny challenge and a big reward. I feel how my eyes are refreshed by the deep green color (which is not quite the same in real) and its glossy shine. Just looking at it and I want to dive into its waves… is it a cooling bed in summer or rather a deep sea which envelopes a naked body in its generosity? For now it is becoming a collection of leaves, hopefully with some poetry.