NIENKE VAN VEEN
My journey
I was born in Harderwijk in the Netherlands in 1987. In a creative and enterprising family.
I chose a professional education in restauring en decorating in Zwolle at Cibap. At this school I learned a lot about art history, restauring old work and crafts.
After we moved to Sweden in 2018 I started at Grimslövs Folkhögskola Konst Hantverk & Design. I spent two years learning as much as I could. Developed a love for working with metal.
When I did an internship at Björn Jäderås Konstbronsgjuteri I found myself in the world of sculptures and casting.
I started my own little company and stayed at Björn Jäderås' workshop to work with bronze.
It inspires me to be a part of other artists process by casting their sculptures.
Broadly speaking, there are two themes I start from when I create my own work. The first theme is movement and/or development. The pandemic came almost immediately after we moved to Sweden. That time gave me time to think about what mental processes I have gone through in my life. These processes have often not been without struggle and setbacks, however, all changes have contributed to a larger process of personal development. By looking back and reflecting, I can understand the purpose of changes as well as setbacks in my life. Now that I have become a mother, I am even more aware of the power of people's mental attitude and well-being, but especially the importance of taking good care of it.
The other theme I work with is sustainability because I long to leave something positive on earth. For me, this means that I want to live with animals and nature in a positive way, which is reflected in my works. Since sustainability is an important theme in my life, I would prefer to only reuse materials. I therefore never stop thinking about how I can work in a more sustainable way, and which materials I could replace in order to reduce emissions.
Creating feels meaningfull to me.
I hope I can contribute to others lives trough my own creations.
