Ilona Rijkeboer
ILONA RIJKEBOER
Dutch artist residing in Leipzig, Germany.
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Studies
2015 - 2018: BA Fine Arts at LUCA School of Arts Ghent - specialisation in painting
2017: BA Fine Arts at ECA Edinburgh, exchange semester - specialisation in painting
2013 - 2014: International MSc Corporate Communication at UvA Amsterdam
2010 - 2013: BSc Communication science at VU Amsterdam
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Residencies
Appèl d'Air, Arras (FR) September 2023
Shared Studio – Lígía Fernandez, Tallinn (EE) July 2022
MODS Virtual Lab, online May - June 2020
Exploring Leipzig, Gallery Westtor, Leipzig (DE) January 2020
The Lunch Box, Allanton (UK) several periods in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2024
Rural Tendencies Tested, In de Ruimte, Ghent (BE) July 2018
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I’m a visual artist from the Netherlands, based in Leipzig. My practice is interdisciplinary, but mainly leans towards drawing and sculpture. Over the past years, I found inspiration in observing sociocultural processes and the shaping of human identity in change. Recently, I have become more interested in power dynamics, especially related to ecology.
In my current practice I’m researching the emotional context and consequences belonging to the power dynamics which control is part of. I observe control both as a feeling and a verb: as a verb, it is the claiming of superiority, therefore altering the perspective on the other’s agency; as a feeling, it is one of righteous victory, while consciously or unconsciously knowing that this acclaimed power is illusive. Feelings of control are therefore inseparable from feelings of fear.
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In contemporary Western society, we relate to our natural surroundings on a base of fear. We have neglected the agency of these surroundings in the process, objectifying them to feed our illusive feeling of control. In my visual research, I approach these ideas from a personal connection with natural elements and every-day materials. I try to handle them as other bodies, essentially originating from the same source as me, taking part in the same ecosystem.