🇳🇱 VERKLARING VAN DE KUNSTENAAR - 2020
Mijn interesse ligt in de reis. In de obstakels die je onderweg tegenkomt en die om een oplossing vragen.
De onderwerpen in mijn werk zijn in de afgelopen jaren eenvoudiger geworden en tegelijkertijd ben ik ook eenvoudiger materialen gaan gebruiken...meestal gecomprimeerde houtskool en 300 grams ets-papier, artisanaal gemaakt van katoenen lompen door onder meer Hahnemühle of Schut. Daardoor verkrijg ik een grond van intens fluweelachtig zwart waarin alleen de vorm lijkt te drijven. Verborgen in deze eenvoud ligt een schijnbare ambiguïteit en complexiteit van vormen en gestalten, een dialoog waarbij figuratie versmelt in abstractie.
Zo weerspiegelt het kledingstuk in de serie Robes (2015-2017) de essentiële kwaliteiten van de drager voor wie het kledingstuk is ontworpen. Het smetteloos wit van onschuld voor the Child, de ijsbloemen voor the Poet, de onderdrukte creativiteit voor the Composer - homage to Fanny Mendelssohn.
In de Vessel-serie (2018-2020), gaat de dialoog een stap verder. Ik keerde terug naar een geliefd onderwerp, eerder gebruikt in Ostinato (2007): het vat als symbolische vorm, wat kan worden uitgelegd als een metafoor voor geboorte, dood en offergave. Maar ook kommen en vazen maken deel uit van de serie Vessel. Hier zijn stilte en het samenspel van licht en donker in een roerloos meer van zwart, van het grootste belang geworden. Het oplossen van de dichotomie waarin vormen decoratief lijken maar in feite een diepe betekenis hebben, is wat mij intrigeert. De uitdaging ligt erin om zowel de fysieke aanwezigheid als de raadselachtige neerslag van schoonheid bij de beschouwer te ontlokken.
De reis is volbracht. Een nieuwe reis ligt in het verschiet, een nieuwe uitdaging wenkt mij.
Norg (Nederland), maart 2020
🇬🇧 ARTIST STATEMENT - 2020
In recent years my work has turned more and more to the use of simple materials, more often than not compressed charcoal and rag paper, and even simpler subject matter.
Just a shape floating on a ground of intense velvety black.
Within this simplicity a seemingly ambiguous complexity of shapes and forms, a dialogue where figuration melts into abstraction.
The series ‘Robes’ 2015/2017, features a garment ostensibly portraying the essence of the wearer for whom it was conceived. For example the spotless white of innocence for ‘ the Child’ or ice-flowers for ‘the Poet, the repressed creativity of ‘the Composer - Homage to Fanny Mendelssohn’ and so on.
In the ‘Vessel’ series 2018/2020 this is taken yet a step further. This time I returned to a favorite subject matter (used in the ‘Ostinato’ series 2007), the heavily symbolic forms of receptacles, which can be seen as a metaphor for birth, death and sacrifice; bowls and vases, hence the title Vessel.
Here stillness and the interplay of light and dark within a lake of silence has become paramount.
To resolve the dichotomy in which forms that appear decorative, yet are resonant of a deeper meaning is what intrigues me here. To coax out both its physical presence and an enigmatic residual beauty is where the challenge lies.
My interest is always in the journey, in the problems to be solved on the way.
Norg (Netherlands), March 2020
2021 Member of the Art Society (Kunstgenootschap) de Ploegh, Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
🇳🇱 EXPOSITIE RECENSIE - ROBES & ROCKS IN DE GALERIJ IJHORST (IJhorst, Nederland 2017)
🇬🇧 EXHIBITION REVIEW - ROBES & ROCKS AT GALLERIJ IJORST (IJhorst, Netherlands 2017)
Translation of the article in Dutch (above):
It would appear that the differences could not be greater. In the refined and vulnerable works on paper by Ilse van Garderen dresses take the central stage ,these are so fragile that they appear to have reached the status of dematerialisation. The 'Robes' cycle are exhibited in De Galerij IJhorst in combination with sculptures in granite and basalt by Ton Kalle. These are inflexible and indestructible abstract forms whose sheer physicality predominate. Between Robes and Rocks yawns in the material sense an enormous chasm. But those who see these totally disparate works in one space discover that they work wonderfully well together.
Defining.
Ilse van Garderen (Melbourne 1953) likes to work in series. In IJhorst she exhibits graphic work, (the series 'Birds' and 'Faces') as well as charcoal drawings. The series 'Robes'is defining of the way the artist reflects on reality. The dresscycle though figurative rises at the same time above reality because the images are lifted to another level of being. In fact the dresses represent metaphors for the human soul. The material quality has effectively metamorphosed into a new, bewitching, esoteric and otherworldly reality.
Although 'the Angel' rationally speaking is no more than the depiction of a garment it appears to be animated and floats in endless space. ' The Composer' looks like a layered and complex structured dress which forcefully discloses the vision of the designer. 'The Poet ' on the other hand is sober and modest while 'The Philosopher' shows a duplicity as if the garment belongs to someone who seeks clarity and always wants to expose or embody two sides of a subject. Not only in her dress cycle but also in her other work Ilse van Garderen searches constantly for refinement and the difference in nuances. She puts details to her hand and uses them to show an inner reality. She does this for example with 'Bowl', a hand coloured lithograph and in 'Ostinato' a compilation of nine glazed bowls. Next to a sublimely poetic image language Ilse van Garderen has developed her own markmaking and idiom. She obtains the maximum yield from the techniques, materials and imagery that she uses.
Alternately.
This last also applies to Ton Kalle. His contribution to this double exhibition in De Galerij concentrates around the theme 'Star'. A sculptor who wants to express so ephemeral and elusive a phenomenon ( because that is what a star is) in robust, solid material demands the extreme of himself, of his materials and of his technique. In the abstract language of Ton Kalle polished and rough surfaces are juxtaposed. In combination with notches and nicks it is this alternating of rough and smooth which determines the appearance of the sculptures.
It is not just that the artist is fascinated by the starform. In Casa Nostra and 'Take a look at yourself' he refers respectively to the function of a place and a mirror.Through the transformation of these recognisable elements (house, mirror) in massive lumps of basalt and granite arises a metamorphosis which is just as inescapable as the transformative processes created by Ilse van Garderen.
🇬🇧 BIOGRAPHY
Like so many women artists Ilse van Garderen juggled a number of activities - raising children, renovating houses, designing gardens - with her own artistic pursuits, which began in the realm of book illustration.
Her first children’s picture book, which she both wrote and illustrated, was short-listed for the Crichton Award. She successfully participated in exhibitions of both illustrative and then more frequently non-illustrative work.
As a way to explore motifs, the genre of Artist’s Books allows her, in an intimate and tactile form, to create a multi-layered pictorial language, both psychologically charged and ambiguous.
“Series also captivate me, the inevitable evolution inherent in this mode of operation gives me the possibility to explore concepts such as abstraction in the context of object/subject and space defined in terms of the representational – a conscious shift of focus.”
🇬🇧 STUDIED
· Drawing, Watercolour – Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney, Australia
· Oil painting, Tempera – Brian Blanchard, Sydney, Australia
· Sculpture – Tom Bass, Sydney, Australia
· Printmaking – Rosemary Ashton, Sydney, Australia
Initial studies have been supplemented by ongoing participation in various workshops at for example the Australian Print Workshop, plus masterclasses with Godwin Bradbeer, as well as anatomical drawing at the University of NSW Medical School.
Ilse’s work is represented in both public and private collections in Australia, Europe and Asia.
🇬🇧 COLLECTIONS
Amongst others, Ilse van Garderen’s work is represented in the following public collections:
· Rijksmuseum, Twenthe, Enschede, the Netherlands
· International Artists Book Triennial collection, Vilnius, Lithuania
· Museo d’Arte Paolo Pini, Milano, Italy
· Painting & Sculpture Museums Association, Istanbul, Turkey
· Grafton Regional Gallery, Grafton, NSW, Australia
· National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
· Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
· Baillieu Library, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Australia
· State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
· State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
· Matheson Library Rare Books, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
· Banyule City Council Works on Paper collection, Melbourne, Australia
· Bibliotheca Librorum apud Artificem (Library for the Artist’s Book), Sydney, Australia
as well as private collections in France, England, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia.
Ilse is represented in the Netherlands by Galerie de Ploegh, Amersfoort; and in Australia by Port Jackson Press, Falkner Gallery, Bird's Gallery, Books Illustrated, and PG Gallery.
🇬🇧 EXHIBITIONS
2022
Nectar - Art & Urban Nature, Sint-Joriskerk, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
Rituelen, Rietveld Paviljoen, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
Garden of Loss & Triumph, Artaviso, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2021
Nieuwe Leden van De Ploegh, Galerie de Ploegh, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
Grafiek & Multiples, Galerie de Ploegh, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
2017
The Robe and Rocks, Galerij IJhorst, in conjunction with Grensloos Kunst Verkennen, the Netherlands (see review above)
2015
Error -7th international Artist's Book Triennial Vilnius 2015, Vercelli, Italy and Vilnius, Lithuania
2012
All Sorts of Snippets - printmaking, Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine, Vic, Australia
2011
Unravelled - Artists' books and typographical prints from Banyule Art Collection, Banyule Arts Space, Ivanhoe, Vic, Australia
2010
2010 Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award, Fremantle, WA, Australia
2010 Libris Awards, Artspace Mackay Regional Art Gallery, Qld, Australia
Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Toorak Village, Vic, Australia
2009
Ilse van Garderen: Lithographs, drawings and other works on paper, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
On Top of the World – Australian Book Artists, Glen Echo Park Gallery, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
2008-2009 Collaborations, Lancaster Press, Brooklyn, Vic, Australia
Bird Stories (with Bridget Farmer), Bird’s Gallery, Kew, Vic, Australia
Vessel, Bird’s Gallery, Kew, Vic, Australia
Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Toorak Village, Vic, Australia
2008
III International Print Exhibition Competition (Painting & Sculpture Museums Association), Istanbul, Turkey
L’Arte e La Montagne, MAPP Museo d’Arte Paolo Pini, Milano, Italy
9 x 5, Walker St Gallery, Dandenong, Vic, Australia
Festival of Sculpture, Toorak Village, Vic, Australia
2008 Print Night, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
Every Picture Tells a Story - the narrative unveiled, Federation Gallery @ Cube 37, Frankston Arts Centre, Vic, Australia
2007
2007 Works from the Studio, Lancaster Press, Brooklyn, Vic, Australia
9 x 5, Walker St Gallery, Dandenong, Vic, Australia
Ostinato, (solo) The Paper Room, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Southern Cross University Artists’ Book Award 2007, Next Art Gallery, Lismore, NSW, Australia
Tripartite: same world - different vision, fortyfive downstairs, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
2007 Dominique Segan Drawing Prize, Castlemaine State Festival, Vic, Australia
A Lake of Silence, (solo) Bird’s Gallery, Kew, Vic, Australia
She – Who Dreams National Competition (winner),Walker St Gallery, Dandenong, Vic, Australia
2006
4th International Artist’s Book Triennial Vilnius 2006, Contemporary Arts Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
II. International Print Exhibition Competition (Painting & Sculpture Museums Association), Tohane-i-Amire Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2006 Fremantle Print Award, Fremantle, WA, Australia
2006 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
Inaugural arc Yinnar Drawing Prize (highly commended), Centre for Creativity and Contemporary Art, Yinnar, Vic, Australia
Robert Jacks Drawing Prize 06, Bendigo Regional Gallery, Vic, Australia
2006 Swan Hill Print & Drawing Acquisitive Awards, Swan Hill Regional Gallery, Vic, Australia
2006 Libris Artists’ Books Awards, Artspace Mackay Regional Art Gallery & Museum, Qld, Australia
Together, Bird’s Gallery, Kew, Vic, Australia
2005
Terra Humanus, Engineers without Borders, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
St Peter’s Eastern Hill Art Show (winner: Print Award, winner: Lord Mayor’s Prize), Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Books.05, Noosa Regional Gallery, Qld, Australia
2005 MLC Acquisitive Art Exhibition, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
2005 Print Night and Inaugural Print Day, Grafton Regional Gallery, Vic, Australia
2004
The ANL Maritime Art Prize 2004, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
2004 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
The Silk Cut Award 2004, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
The Hutchins Art Prize 2004, Hobart, Tas, Australia
MLC Acquisitive Art Exhibition, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
2003
The Hutchins Art Prize 2003, Hobart, Tas, Australia
2001
Untitled, Collingwood Gallery, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
The Hutchins Art Prize 2001, Hobart, Tas, Australia
2000
25th Annual Shell Fremantle Print Award, Fremantle, WA, Australia
The Hutchins Art Prize 2000, Hobart, Tas, Australia
1999
The Australian Family, The New Children’s Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia
1998
Picture Book Families, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek, Vic, Australia
1997
Tender Buttons, Books Illustrated, Gasworks, Albert Park, Vic, Australia
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
1996
Exhibition of Non-Illustrative Work, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
1995
Favourite Animals, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek, Vic, Australia
Not-So-Short-List Exhibition, Books Illustrated, Gasworks, Albert Park, Vic, Australia
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Children’s Book Illustrators Exhibition, La Trobe Regional Gallery, Morwell, Vic, Australia
Child Abuse Prevention Service Art Auction and Christmas Greeting Card Selection, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1994
“Strike a light!” (with wood artist Yanni Rigos), Books Illustrated, Albert Park, Vic, Australia
Holiday Stories, Philatelic Gallery, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
1993
UNICEF: Peace, Joy & Friendship, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Art of the Picture Book, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek, Vic, Australia
1992
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
1991
Miniature Artwork, Post Office Gallery, Seaforth, NSW, Australia
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Children’s Book Illustrations, Breewood Gallery, Katoomba, NSW, Australia
1990
Contemporary NSW Illustrators, State Library of NSW, Sydney, NSW , Australia - then touring Regional Galleries through 1990 and 1991
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Christmas Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
1989
Annual Bookweek Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
🇬🇧 BOOKS and ARTICLES
2015
Error, two different artist’s books, mixed media (7th International Artist’s book Triennial, Vilnius and Vercelli 2015)
2012
The Artist’s Way, Virginia Imhoff, Claire Takacs (photos), Country Style magazine, November
2011
Ah! Those Thieving Birds, artist’s book, edition of 10, images Ilse van Garderen, text Peter Lyssiotis, bound by Monica Oppen
2010/11
Careless Water, Ilse van Garderen, Maalstroom Ink, Melbourne
(A reprise of the unique state linocut artist’s book, handmade in 2000, this 2010 version has been published in an edition of 1,000 individually numbered copies.)
2009
Views from the Mountain, lithographs and mixed media artist’s book with Peter Lyssiotis, edition of 10.
2008
An A to Z of Mountains - Legendary, Fabled and Real, artist book, mixed media, unique state
A Small Book of Mountains, artist book, pen, ink, watercolour, drypoint and lithograph, unique state
Ilse van Garderen: A woman … A house … What a natural fit!, Peter Lyssiotis, Imprint magazine, Autumn 2008
2006
And the Sun and the Moon blinked, artist’s book, blind embossing, (4th International Artist’s Book Triennial – Vilnius 2006, Salzburg 2007)
2005
Only Silence Whispers, artist’s book in 3 volumes, drypoints, (selected Books.05; 2006 Libris Artists’ Books Awards; Fremantle Print Award 2006; acquired: Grafton Regional Gallery 2009)
2003
As a Fool in a Maze, artist’s book, linocut and blind embossing (The Hutchins Art Prize 2003; The Silk Cut Award 2004)
2001
Hortus Conclusus I-IV, artist’s books, monotypes with gold leaf and blind embossing, (The Hutchins Art Prize 2001 – HC II)
2000
Julie Mitchell, Ilse van Garderen (illustr.), The Passenger, Rigby Heinemann
Careless Water, artist’s book, linocut and blind embossing, (The Hutchins Art Prize 2000; 25th Shell Fremantle Print Award 2000)
1999
Friedrich Recknagel, Ilse van Garderen (illustr.), Mia findet eine freundin, Nord-Sud Verlag, Gossau Zurich
1998
Anna Epstein (ed), The Australian Family, Images and Essays, Scribe Publications, Melbourne
1994
Yvonne Winer, Ilse van Garderen (illustr.), Moonshadow Fox, Margaret Hamilton Books, Sydney
1993
Ilse van Garderen, Winter Bacon, Walter McVitty Books, Montville
Margaret Hamilton (ed), The Picture People, Illustrators of Contemporary Australian Picture Books, Margaret Hamilton Books, Hunters Hill
1991
Ilse van Garderen, Children’s Book Illustration, Craft Arts International magazine, March/June