Cecile van der Heiden is artist in residence for 6 months from May 1 st until November at the Chinese European Art Center (CEAC). Cecile van der Heiden, born in the Netherlands she is a Dutch based artist. She has travelled and worked in Mexico , Italy , Egypt , Spain and The United States.

Until now the outspoken images in the work of Cecile van der Heiden, were made on a base of Perspex. With more recent works the images are no longer caught in a frame. The new forms hang as independent constellations on the wall. Strong movements are combined with quiet fields. In the process of pouring they seem to appear spontaneously. In fact, the artist chooses her colour palette very decisively. The movement is directed and ends in a moment of great precision. The arrangement of colours has a strong visual diversity. Concentration, balance and vitality are keywords for the work of Cecile van der Heiden. Her work is represented in various national and international private and public collections. She teaches at The Royal Academy of Visual Art in The Hague , the Netherlands.

During her artist in residence program, a lecture about her work at the Art College , Xiamen University will be held. In the beginning of May 2008 Cecile Van Der Heiden arrived in China . She stepped into a different world than the western society previously inhabited. She explored the streets of Xiamen , discovering the city on foot, by bicycle and bus. Immediately, Chinese influences crept into her work. She started with a series of small sculptures that she prefers to call ‘props’, in which she uses different daily articles that struck her in the first weeks in China. On a rainy day Cecile visited the island of Gulang Yu , in an almost mystical atmosphere. No tourists to be found in the rain, the island alone with itself, exotic flowers, roofs covered by swirling plants, lost villas, quiet, yet waiting for a tune to come. Arrays of beautiful shells were discovered.
She decided to make a series of works under the title;
Artis Natura Magistra: nature is the teacher of art .

The props, mentioned above, can be viewed on the exhibition.
She has always admired Chinese art and calligraphy. One day Ineke Gudmundsson showed her an old Chinese children’s book with a beautiful cover. Additionally, the story and illustrations throughout the book pleased her very much. The cover illustration had a stark similarity with the forms of her plastic works. She decided to use the cover and title of this children’s book for her exhibition.The vitality of her work can also be seen in the recently made fans. She is happy to be welcomed into the Chinese society, every day discovering something new in the amazingly ancient and current culture of today’s China .

For more information you can check website www.cecilevanderheiden.nl

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