Growing up in Oosterhout, the Netherlands, Hanneke Kempers was taught the relevance of art in the development of human life. After earning her degree in Social Sciences, she began to explore the motivations for human behavior and the ways individuals may benefit and develop from day-to- day interactions. Inspired by de Kooning, Pollock, and Nico Molenkamp, Kempers blends abstract expressionism with the teachings of Jung, who motivates her to search for the universal connection between art and people.

 

Working in both oil and acrylic, Kempers creates dynamic, colorful pieces with straightforward titles that welcome her viewers in. Her painting philosophy is similar to her view of human beings: the more layers the better. She begins each piece by combining bright and powerful structures, after which she refines and adds new layers, imbuing her work with even more energy. “These universal ‘mind- and mood-sets’ may be recognizable for any one of us,” she says, “regardless of our differences in background, belief, and language.”

 

Hanneke Kempers lives currently in De Bilt, the Netherlands.