Keetje Mans (1979, Amsterdam) creates paintings, drawings, installations, objects and textile art. She attended the Maastricht Academy of Fine Art from 1999 to 2004 and completed a residency at the Jan van Eyck Academy from 2013 to 2014. The inspiration for her work probably began earlier, however, during trips she took to Costa Rica and Curaçao during her childhood.

Shimmer of Bliss

Mans paints directly on the canvas, without drawing a sketch first. During her creative process, she waits for a feeling to strike that she describes as ‘a leap without a landing’. Once she gets that feeling, she looks for ‘shimmers’ – small glints, brief moments of happiness – that she then uses to create her works. The ‘shimmers’ recur in all her work as recognisable shapes. Nearly all the works in the Shimmer of Bliss exhibition are new.

Balancing act between fantasy and reality

The real world and fantasy come together in Mans’ paintings. There's a sense of mystery in the scenes depicted on the canvas: groups of people intertwined with one another, outdoor scenes where plants seem to live or domestic settings where strange things happen. At first glance, Mans’ work seems light and dreamy. Those who look more closely will see the dark, idiosyncratic and rebellious nature of her work.

Nature, interiors and patterns

Anyone looking at Mans’ work will see that nature, interiors and patterns are a recurring theme. At an early age, she spent extended periods of time in Costa Rica and Curaçao with her parents. The patterned, colourful folk art and the free way of life (mostly spent outdoors) left an impression on her. In recent years, most of her inspiration has come from her life now: as part of a western middle-class family. A life full of privileges, limitations and close to nature.