PROJECT ZODIAC

FEBRUARY 10 TO 25, 2024

2024

THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON

An important part within Chinese New Year celebrations is, of course, the zodiac of the year. The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals, so each year is in the sign of a different zodiac. 2024 is the year of the Dragon.

Every year an art project is linked to the zodiac of the year. Different artists transform a figure of a dragon into a fantastic work of art. The sculptures will be scattered throughout the city.

TYRA ANG

'My name is Tyra Ang and I am an animator / illustrator from Aruba :) nowadays I live in Rotterdam and am working on a short film for my masters. With this dragon I especially wanted to play with bright color combinations!'

Check the photos for the progress of the artwork

SOFIE XIE

Sofie Xie was born in 1953 into an artist family in Wenzhou, a city located in eastern China. Her grandfather was a sculptor. Her father was a traditional Chinese painter and also dedicated all his life to relief art with oiled clay, which is unique from Wenzhou.

With the influence of her grandfather and father, Sofie became particularly interested in painting as a child and learned a lot from her father. When the first art studio in Wenzhou was established by the Chinese state in 1975, she was one of the few artists selected to work in the studio as a painter.

SOLD

Sofie Xie is mainly inspired by meditation, music, dance and by Yang Lian's hazy poems. All these stimuli arouse her curiosity and touch the deepest places of her soul and her senses for colors. The techniques Sofie uses range from brushes to fingers to kitchen towels and spoons, just anything "that is close to me," she says.

When Sofie was in China, her work was characterized by traditional Chinese women painted poetically yet very tightly on rice paper using Chinese ink. Since 1999, Sofie has lived in the Netherlands.

The expressive Dutch art styles influenced her a lot, since then her work is a fusion of poetic figurative Eastern and colorful abstract Western style.

Last year, Sofie Xie received a royal award (the ribbon) for her contribution in the cultural world between the Netherlands and China.

FENMEI

My name is Fenmei Hu. I was born in China in the village of Yuhu in Zhejiang province. When I was nine years old, I came to the Netherlands.

After I completed my studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, I started working as a visual artist. Pretty soon I rolled into the world of cultural projects.

As a creator in the cultural sector, I mainly deal with heritage, education, concept development and consulting, all linked to Chinese culture & community in the Netherlands.

In my own work, I often depict my own life, who I am. Inspiration can be anything. A recurring element in my work is my Chinese roots. I work from my heart. A small selection of my work can be seen on Artoffice.

Website: artoffice.info

MAMABIRD

'I am Dyan van Staveren, I paint under the name MamaBird. Normally I make paintings. I paint old toys in adult situations. Originating from the fact that toys are quickly bought and also quickly thrown away again, while on the other side of the world little kids made those toys. I give the toys an adult afterlife, so to speak.

Insta: mamabird.art
Website: www.themamabird.nl

PRICE OF 1 SCULPTURE € 750,-
2 SCULPTURES TOGETHER € 1,300,-

NATALIE YANG

With my drawings, paintings and other creations I like to tell a story: sometimes something happy, sometimes something sad, sometimes a joke without words. I teach drawing classes and have a sewing club so I can share this joy.