on freedom...

Today I was thinking about a theme for this week's open studioday on Saturday. I asked myself: 'What is moving me these days, what touches my heart?' My answer is definitely: freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom to move around in this world, freedom to be who you are, regardless of sexuality, religion, color or whatever. Freedom for women to choose their partners, freedom for children to get an education instead of having to work.

In the Netherlands freedom is a normal thing. It speaks for itself, it is a given. But also here fear creeps in. With every terrorist act we tend to become more prepared to give up a part of our freedom to feel more safe. Some people calling for the borders to close, for rigid rules regarding refugees.

I wonder: 'What has art and making art to do with freedom? What is my role regarding freedom actually?' There is no way I can change much about the way things go on a large (world)scale or in a political sense.

But what about our personal freedom, our freedom in our minds, to search all the corners of our souls and hearts in an open, unbiased way?

What I do know something about is how we all put ourselves in cages with bars made of fear for others, fear for judgement, the most harsh judgements coming from ourselves. We put bars between ourselves and the world using fear and prejudice, structuring and simplifying our view of the world and ourselves in that way.

We can do better! We can try to open our minds, our hearts to ourselves first and really listen. What is it that keeps me here, what keeps me small, what ... creates fear and unfreedom? Will asking ourselves these questions help us to understand our own fears and thus understand others better and be more compassionate?

For me art is about searching my soul, about finding out what keeps me from my freedom and what helps me to free myself and thereby to help me understand others. It is about accepting my art, about not being too harsh on myself and my art. If I do not have to make perfect art, it is easier to look with open eyes and heart at the art others make.

We have every right and indeed the duty to defend ourselves against terrorist acts. But in the meantime we have to take care to stay open. Not only for the worlds sake, but maybe even mostly for ourselves. If art can help us here, which I believe on a small personal scale it can… I would love to be a part of that.

I do not know how to make this more of a practical job, but this Saturday I will be working on art dedicated to freedom. I would love you to come and help me.

The studio will be open from 12 to 5.

Rijnsburgerweg 75, Leiden, The Netherlands