3rd European textile and Fibre Art Festival - Catalogue

HÉLÈNE DE RIDDER
Belgium / Be©ija
Born 1957
Resschebeke 68
9320 Erembodegem, Belgium
Education
1988–1990 Philosophy, Antwerp,
Belgium
1989–1990 Philosophy of art, Gent,
Belgium
1985–1986 History of art, Aalst, Belgium
1976–1987 Academy Aalst, Monumental
Arts, Belgium
Selected exhibitions
2006 Textile Art International
Exhibition, Scythia, Ukraine
International Exhibition of
Contemporary Textile Art
”in_rete”, miniartextil
Como, Italy
2005 The World Batik Conference
exhibition ”Wax Eloquent“,
Massachusetts College of
Art in Boston, USA
”Visions in Textile“, ETN-
Exhibition, Izmir, Turkey
2004 3 rd International Biennial –
Square-Carre-Cuadrado,
Valencia, Venezuela, USA
2003 Exhibition ”Batik 2003,
Kunst in Beweging/Art in
Motion“, Miat, Gent,
Belgium
Awards
2005 Award (Honourable
Mention), Wax Eloquent
Juried International
Exhibition, Boston, USA
1987 Premium and selected
Provincial Prize for arts and
crafts East- Flanders, Gent,
Belgium
1986 Prize ”Valerius De
Saedeleer“, Aalst, Belgium
The last few years the technique of batik is art
in motion. From craft to Art. From tradition
to a modern art. For me an age-old tradition
with an innovating evolution. I believe in
that evolution more and more. This makes
batik so exciting. Always searching to
make...art with a tradition. In my work
”Scratching of my pen” I utilised the brushes
with wax and after that I used my etching
pen. In my life there are four basic words,
”what”, ”when”, ”who” and ”why”. These
words always form the underlying structure
of my art works.
Although I am not a speaking word-painter, I
love playing with words in my batik works.
Letters and handwritings, words and
thoughts are a beloved source of inspiration
for me. Twenty years ago somebody listened
to my silent story. There was no sound, only
written language. An exchange of words
and thoughts. I started to enjoy writing.
Writing what I thought. But nobody heard
me. This was the origin, the sprouting of my
scratching batiks.
Works in collections
City of Aalst, Belgium
Norton Priority Museum, Chesire, UK
Guizhou Batik Art Research Institute,
Guizhou, China
M. Che Ninghang (Director Guizhou
Museum), Guizhou, China
Botanic Gardens, Meise, Belgium
Kunsthalle Szombathely, Szombathely
Képtar, Hungary
3rd International Biennial, ”Square-
Carre-Cuadrado“, Valencia,
Venezuela, USA
KVBKB, Gent, Belgium
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