Artist Interview: Handiedan

Handiedan is a Dutch collage artist based in Amsterdam we are excited to have as part of our next group show Femme to Femme Fatale curated by Beautiful Bizarre. Her work impresses with its ability to exercise a refreshingly unique approach while maintaining a truly pleasing aesthetic regardless of how near or far we are to it. Intrigued by both the beauty and the process, we’ve had the opportunity to interview her for some elaboration.

Interview by Jessica Violetta

All images courtesy of the artist.

JV: It comes as no surprise that your work will be featured in a show with this title and theme. “Femme” seems to be a common theme within your work but so does “Femme Fatale”. Is there anything you could share with us about your choice to so often include a pinup style female (or more than one) in your work?

H: To me, I like how the sensual female form can symbolize both soft and strong, radiates both power and vulnerability. An origin of softness and growth, a purity, sexuality of beauty and decay. I like to use the classical pin-up because of the high cultural value and they exhibit a tasteful response to female sexuality. To use this as the basis of my work and translate/transcend them into a new aesthetic form surrounded within symbolism.

An extra aspect is when you look at a technical aspect. As an extra gift, when digital reproducing these magazines with a scanner: a graphic moiré pops up. It’s sort of a tiny graphic grid. I love it how this moiré works on the paintings and how it interacts with the pixelation of low resolution web images in my digital collages.


JV: The way you are able to entice a viewer into your artwork with such overall charm and then have us come to find that you have actually hand cut and carved the components with mastery, it feels to be a gift that keeps giving. Do you find similar satisfaction with this duality when creating the work?

H: I love the fast and intuitive way of designing and montaging in the computer. It gives unpredictable outcomes that surprise me. It sometimes feels like my unconscious is able to become conscious and appears right in front of me while I create my originals.

I love the timely part of my hand cut collages. It slows me down and lets me go deeper into the meaning of the piece and the process towards the final result.

I love to combine the autonomous techniques of hand cut collage with the modern possibilities of the digital collage techniques. It gives me a definite satisfaction to combine these two techniques, and to see how they complement each other both in the layering of the artwork and in meaning and technique.

JV: You have had the opportunity to show in various forms - from gigantic outdoor murals to small scale gallery works. Do you have a favourite experience so far?

H: My most favourite experience is the combination of both.
The quiet focus of working for months by myself in my studio creating art for a show.

The fast and energetic focus while creating a wheat past mural in one week, with a lot of direct interaction with your audience and the project team gives a lot of energy.

Either way of working gives a new and different energy and the possibility to re-focus. I think combining results for me as a good way to grow, learn and develop my art.

JV: As someone who collects vintage illustrations for the aged aesthetic but also seeks out modern art, I find your artwork to be like a successful hybrid between the two. Have you also been a connoisseur of materials like this before you began to use them to create original work?

H: The original work I’m creating today, is a direct result of what I always have done.
I always had a fascination of things that are aged or ‘have a story locked in time’.

For example, a little piece that fell off an old tree or dried flower, a trashed empty record sleeve or yellowed metro tickets. All to me little treasures.

I can however also see this in modern things that I think are different and raises curious, or that triggers a happy feeling. Like my vinyl toy and crystals and gems collection.

I like to gather things that have a story and it’s even more interesting to combine or compose them together. To see a surprisingly new and totally different story appear.

JV: Being in San Francisco, we know there are both differences and similarities about art and life in Amsterdam. Are you satisfied with the opportunities available for you where you are now and/or have you shown or traveled to other places that seem to welcome what you are doing even more?

H: With my art I mainly exhibit and do projects abroad. I’m very grateful that I am able to do what I love all over the world and meet all these different kind of people.

As a basis, I find Amsterdam a great city to live and to develop my art. A nice and open atmosphere to create. I think a lot of nice things are happening in Amsterdam. Especially the last few years, new galleries and projects full of new art energy popped up.

JV: Aside from the commonality of depicting the female form, are there any overarching themes or concepts that you typically have in mind when making your work?

H: My art works are a treasure trove of symbols and patterns scattered on and through the background. You can find meaning in the tattoos, in patterns of decorative symbolism and hidden meanings, with a focus on Quantum Physics, Metaphysics, Mythology, Sacred Geometries, Cosmology, Astronomy and Space and Time theories.

JV: Your mural in Berlin for Urban Nation is breathtaking. Can we look forward to you creating more large scale public work in the future?

H: Thank you.
After creating the mural in Berlin in 2014, I’ve created several large wheat paste murals for Wall Therapy in Rochester and one for RMP in Richmond this year. Sadly, because of harsh weather conditions these walls didn’t last.

There are plans in the make for a new large mural project in conjunction with my solo exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery next year. Very excited about it!

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Flos Vitae by Handiedan

• Mixed Media Collage
• In Antique Metal Table Stand
• 24 x 30.5 cm. | 9.5 x 12 in. 
• © 2016
• 31 x 51 x 20 cm. | 12.25 x 20 x 7.75 in. (framed)

On exhibit for Femme to Femme Fatale from September 17 through October 8, 2016 at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco. Inquire for more info