Solo Exhibition - The (Autobiographical) Diaries
Acrylic and pencil on canvas, 80 x 120
Bio
Lieke Steen (Utrecht, 1995) is an illustrator and artistic researcher living in Amsterdam. After pursuing her bachelors in Graphic Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, she got back to what made her want to become a Graphic Designer in the first place: combining drawings with poetry. During covid she started keeping an illustrative diary, this grew out to become her biggest ongoing project yet: The (Autobiographical) Diaries.
“finding comfort in the re-imagination of the personal. Creating a pure perspective on myself and my world through the intimate practice of self-portrayal.”
The (Autobiographical) Diaries - 2020 — Now
To reflect, rejuvinate and reintegrate my thoughts as an artist, I keep a physical diary I use as my daily art practice. In this practice, I use my surroundings as a mirror for percieving the world through artistic research. It is through this autobiographical reference that I gain knowledge about myself, the world around me, and my perspective on it. These diaries contain writings, illustration, self- portraits, photos and more. I curate these thoughts, texts, photos and illustrations as a meditative practice to reflect and heal by making connections. It helps me cope. This is the first ever curated exhibition of the autobiographical diaries.
Born from these diaries was my biggest self portrait on canvas yet. It questions (cultural) identity; what sorrow, love, stories, memories, items, families, foods and things make us who we are today? How much influence do we have on these things? In any case, they are, and will always be, part of us, carried through life.
Ink on pink paper, framed in glass
108 x 148 mm