Femke Hiemstra’s meticulously tight, jewel like
mixed media paintings and exquisitely rendered black and white drawings are
homes to a dark fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic
with animal neighbors. Lollipops become ship captains, strawberries become
giant wrestlers, and vegetables become Halloween gods with lantern eyes. Femke
occasionally uses typography in her work, using words from various languages
and letters in her paintings to further enhance the narrative while still
retaining a playful sense of mystery, or as a visual device to frame in the
scenery, as if you were looking at her world through a secret window. She
also uses found objects to paint on, such as boxes and wrappers, to create
imaginary products with magical properties. Drawing from a range of influences,
from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both
pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vibrant playground for
the imagination, with each piece looking like a portal for a fantastic adventure,
which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story that lies inside.
Femke lives in Amsterdam where she also has a thriving career in illustration.
She is working on a book featuring her fine art.
Next exhibition at Roq la Rue
April 2008
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