Artist: HJIMvanGasteren

Fine aret pigment print, size 40x60cm, Diasec HD, mounted in wooden frame, Edition of 25

Award winning multimedia artist HJIMvanGasteren (Henriëtte Johanna Ignatia Maria van Gasteren), formerly known as Lilith, was born in 1964 in Sevenum, the Netherlands.  She has been widely exhibited, throughout Europe and the U.S.
She uses self-portraits to provide a commentary on the image of women today.  Recurring themes in her work include identity, gender roles, freedom, equality, religion and the positive and negative aspects of human experience.  Her work is sometimes humorous, often sensual, frequently confrontational, and always original and insightful.
Her work belongs to international museumcollections and is frequently collected by contemporary art collectors.
Henriëtte currently resides and works in the Netherlands.

Artist statement                                                                                                                                                            

The Dutch art-photographer Henriëtte van Gasteren interprets the current image of women in a humorous, ironic and, at times, painfully realistic manner in her varied images. Her images are generated with the help of remote-control and self-timer, and they are shot in and around her house-cumstudio, as a guest in others’ homes or in what appear to be bland, interchangeable hotel rooms. Her images are characterised by one common thread—that of humanity uprooted. In these portraits, Henriëtte serves as her own model. She dresses differently and strikes different poses in each image. Her images portray a sample of female stereotypes in a sensitive and sophisticated manner. Color and light are critical to Henriëtte’s self-portraits. In addition, as a metteur-en-scène, she devotes special attention to clothing, make-up and props.

A house shows who we are and over 5 years Henriëtte shared her home and garden with her audience. Every corner of the room appears in her extraordinary photography.

Series: ‘Faded glory’

Will we become immortal? Like plants and flowers, the human body withers with time. We throw away plants and flowers when they are not fresh anymore. What can we do with our body’s to prevent them from aging, because the body cannot be thrown away before we die. Can it be fixed? Fine lines and wrinkles aren’t the only signs of aging. The aging process is nothing to shy away from but still it seems many people consider aging to be a sickness. Many believe that signs of aging are ugly and they try to keep their body’s young and fit. Common methods for doing so include sports, vitamin pills, moisterizers, and plastic surgery. But science marches on. How long will it take before editing genetic codes becomes a common method for turning back the hands of time? How long will it take before the body knows when to renew itself to make it possible for us human beings to live ‘forever’, or at least for a thousand years? Women are seemingly captured by the notion that youth equals beauty. But does it?

Collections                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Works of Henriëtte van Gasteren are included in the collections of Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam; Museum AktFotoArt, Dresden; Museum Bommel van Dam, Venlo; Limburgs Museum, Venlo; Museum Ikob, Eupen (Belgium); Torch Gallery, Amsterdam; ASN Nederland, Amsterdam; Museum W, Weert; Eduard Planting Gallery, Naarden; Coda Museum, Apeldoorn; Galerie Mi, Bilthoven, Galerie vorn und oben, Eupen (Belgium); Zuyderland Ziekenhuis, Heerlen.