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JADE HOKSBERGEN | Artist’s Statement

Whilst I grew up with three different languages around me, I never felt like I was able to fully express myself until that is, I found art. What I lack in my quiet and reserved nature, I make up for in my visually dramatic and vibrant art works.

My interest in the arts began at the age of 14 after being diagnosed with something that would change my life forever. Painting soon became all-consuming. It was as important to me as breathing, and in strange ways, it has kept me alive and going. It has, and still, allows me to process emotions I struggle to articulate. I guess you could say that I write my autobiography best with a paintbrush. 

I enjoy incorporating symbolism in my work. These symbols reflect abstractions of certain objects and elements which I feel are important in the telling of my story. Some of these are: sharp teeth, drool drops, belching tongue, crosses, and the three ribs (often masquerading as fish gills). What I’m interested in painting is not what I can see, but rather, how I feel — they are like honest conversations with myself.

My art has, and always will be very personal to me. Whilst I wouldn’t go so far as to calling them self-portraits, they are very much extensions of me.

In the later part of 2020, I decided to launch my art commercially for the first time and share them with you all. It took me time to build up the courage and confidence, but here I am. Creativity takes courage, because it takes courage to speak up, and that’s what I’m trying to do with my art. I am pleased to say that since then, my work has sold to over 15 countries, as well as several states in the USA.

I hope you enjoy browsing through my work. Thank you for reading my story.

PRESS COVERAGE | Interviews and Articles

On my website, you will find two collections: the ANOX (2009-2013) series, and the OCEAN series (2014-). The ANOX series is the product of an enormous creative urge that began after I was given a diagnosis which made clear to me that I was treading on a thin line that separated life from death. Paintings in this series are not only characterised by the use of clean bold lines, but also, bold colours (with heavy use of primary colours) and rigid geometrical shapes. They reflect a past version of myself that was not only chasing an ungraspable sense of control in life, but operating in deadly-narrow comfort zone. 

The OCEAN series sees clean bold lines replaced by messier ones, giving suggestions of an evolving self that is more relaxed — one that is no longer confined inside self-imposed rigidity. It accompanies an evolving self that accepts that much of life is beyond our control. Primary colours are less apparent in the OCEAN series, as we see the mixing of colours, symbolising life’s unpredictable nature and the idea that rather than being absolute, many things in life fall under a spectrum. The OCEAN series also reveals an appreciation for lifeforms underwater, and the paintings exhibit spontaneity and freedom — one that comes together with embracing this uncertainty.

The ocean is a place I have often felt most free. Diving transports me to the same place painting does, a place of tremendous healing and relief… a place where destructive tendencies are hushed. By processing my emotions through art, abstruse creatures are born, and destructive thoughts are purged. I keep my head above the water by painting what may lurk below.