MIN - IMA

The Artists Drive

The moment it dawned on me which way I wanted to go on my creative path, I stood in midst of Death Valley, CA. The vast desert in ocher shades gave me the chills despite it being painfully hot. In front of me was a landscape laid out in the most beautiful lines. Arriving at the Artists Drive, I knew, this desert would determine my future aesthetic eye. And it did. On the plane back home, the Death Valley muse kicked in: Every object I imagined - animate or inanimate - I tried to dissect into its most essential features which I could connect into one continuous line. This is when MIN-IMA slowly came to life.

“The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”, Carl Sagan said with eloquent wisdom. This has been my guideline ever since my encounter with the Californian desert. What I am pouring into all of my work is the idea of gaining the most out of the least, and letting the essential enchant the observer’s imagination. Our brains can auto-complete with so little input! And besides, the beauty of wide emptiness is underrated.

This format gives the art space to be. Just like I had in the desert of Death Valley, feeling like I was standing on another planet, simply on my own.

As a sidenote, my visit to Death Valley also inspired me to change my career path to the field of Earth Sciences. I have never been more in line with myself.

At this point, I want to show my gratitude to all the people who have been watching and supporting me building up the philosophy behind MIN-IMA. I cannot tell you enough, how much this means to me and how much it pushes me to keep on going. Here is to you – you, my very own Artists Drive: THANK YOU.

x irene