KATINKA LAMPE
Katinka Lampe traverses the realms of the figurative, expressionist, and abstract painting in her soft, yet uncanny, portraits. Her works, though imbued with a sense of realism, are not meant to represent those that they depict. The resemblance is not the defining characteristic of these pieces. Instead, the artist sees the figures as visual impressions that, once transformed by her gaze, become representative of larger themes within society, rather than the individual. Lampe uses accessories loaded with connotation to provoke loose characterizations of theme and mood. The seemingly simple inclusion of wigs and false lashes, or the placement of a scarf, alter the interpretation of the children depicted and imply elevated symbolic and metaphorical status that requires deeper interpretation. The result creates a catalyst to provoke deeper and subjective meaning in the minds of the viewers. Through these juxtapositions, the artist explores important societal themes relating aging, race, and the ever-growing dependence on media.
Further than removing the individuality of the subject in her paintings, the artist aims to remove remnants of her self as much as possible, as well. In her own works, she aims to, “paint herself out of her paintings”. Lampe does this through the utilization of a diverse array of painting techniques within each of her works to further portray themes of universalism. The artist’s forays into abstraction within more seemingly representational pieces further remove traces of the artists’ viewpoint. Her subtle but unique gestural style denotes expression and feeling rather than strict representation. The ambiguity created by Lampe’s technique, allows the viewer to more freely make their own interpretations of the piece.
Katinka Lampe is an artist based out of The Netherlands. She received her degree from the Academy of Art and Design in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Her work has been widely exhibited internationally in a variety of galleries, museums, and prominent art fairs such as Museum Van Loon, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Gorcums Museum, Gorinchem, the Netherlands, and Untitled Art Fair, Miami Beach. Her work is included in the collections of Museum 21C, United States; Museum Arnhem, Arnhem; ASR Collections, Utrecht; ING Collection, Amsterdam; APMA, AmorePacific Museum of Art Seoul, Korea; Salon Dahlmann, Berlin; Museum van Loon, Amsterdam; C.N.A.P Centre National des Arts Plastique, Paris; Museum More, Gorssel; Schunck*, Heerlen; De Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam; Art Curial, Paris; Frisseras Museum Athens, Greece; Menzis Art collection, Wageningen; AEGON Art collection, The Hague; Achmea Art collection, Leiden; APG Pensioenfonds, Amsterdam; AKZO Art Foundation, Amsterdam; De Heus, Barneveld; Van Dam, Wassenaar; Bouwfonds, Hoevelaken; Hugo Carla Brown Collection, The Hague; Sanders, Aerdenhout; Princen, Rotterdam; and Heden, The Hague. Lampe’s work has been featured in numerous publications including ArtTravel Magazine, ELLE Décor, and Public Art Magazine, among others.