Riëtte Wanders is an artist from Amsterdam who will be working in Düsseldorf in summer 2023 as an artist in residence in the Höherweg studios and the Weltkunstzimmer.
Her artistic practice is characterized by constant exploration. She is known for her large-scale charcoal and textile drawings, which have a vivid and abstract visual language. However, her latest series of drawings represents a departure from her previous work. These new works are small, colorful and executed with oil pastels on paper. What is special about these works is their source material. They are translations of digital drawings and miniature aluminum sculptures as well as depictions of molars with amalgam fillings. The inclusion of these seemingly disparate elements speaks to Wanders' willingness to experiment with different media and themes. It draws attention to a space to which we ourselves have no access, even though it is one of our most intimate body orifices. The oral cavity as a space for our gnashing mouth, where saliva and speech are produced. Almost contradictorily, Wanders seeks and finds the intimate representations in virtual space, public and accessible to everyone. Wanders uses her residency in Düsseldorf to further explore the use of color in relation to her previous works, moving between abstraction and figuration.
“Makeshift” shows the works that Wanders has developed so far during her residency and includes both experiments and finished works as well as two large textile works from 2022.