As an eleven year old painting artist I won a first prize in Ostend and was offered my initial oil painting set on the occasion. The smell of oil, the childish fascination for objects, my unrestrained imagination and drive for analysis have determined my further career as an artist. There was no way back. I stay focused on my passion. “Art is my child, and life a struggle for Art”.

My preference for multidisciplinarity has always been very strong and the result of years of experimenting. My sculptures, installations, paintings, drawings and monotypes are a mix of methods rooted in artistic painting, photography, graphic ans digital techniques, ceramic and stained glass. These combined disciplines form a basis for two- and three-dimensional artistic composition and assemblage. Objets trouvés, paraphernalia, photographs, textiles, glass, ceramic... become a visual completion in my drawings and paintings.

To me life is an “adventure into the unknown” and so is the world of Art. Our rapidly changing society and the continuous switch of events offer infinite opportunities to the artist. The interaction between individuals and between groups of people are my ultimate fascination. In these turbulent times I feel confronted with existential questions about “la condition humaine”.

Today’s world view is none too rosy, rather paranoid and bereft of free will. Violence lurks underneath the ratio of our society. Ours is an era of fear. The examination of ontological questions and the changing identity associated with it allow me to explore a new world. I cherish the thought that the ideas of the internal, external, infinity, spirit, BRAIN... all exist in our heads. That is where everything in the universe -the essence and appearance of things, the imagination, all that I read, see or hear- is being processed, moulded and shaped. During the release that follows, my hands become the instruments that give expression to my thoughts. I consider myself a researcher and a practical philosopher longing to apply her knowledge by means of visual expression. I try to rule chaos by clarifying the emotions that feed us and make us better internally. Utopian, I know ! We all remain time travelers, damaged by our own times and continuously in search of our ever changing identity. This quest ánd my personal story create new situations, new stories wherein all these artifacts meet in a neverending story of present, past and future. That is what my art is all about! - Hilde NIJS

Translation: Erik De Schrijver