Anita Van Zeumeren

I am interested in thin places. Rather than being confident in narratives that boast having all the answers, I am becoming comfortable in the thin place of the unknown. I choose to wrestle and wonder through my art about the narratives of colonialism, capitalism and patriarchy. In the thin place of hope, I am finding an emerging world of love and interconnectedness in place of hierarchy, domination and control. 

My current series asks questions of culpability in the face of injustice towards Indigenous Nations. It asks questions of wonder about other ways to be and to act. Except for the generosity shown to me through the teaching and testimonies of Indigenous elders, friends and survivors, I would not paint these images.

My art process is one of layering; beginning with the drawing, then laying down colour fields, next creating form and then slowly articulating the fine details.  I see this mirroring my journey of deconstruction. It is a step by step process of slowly finding a way to articulate new ways of being in the world. It is also reflected in the metaphors I choose that are layered with both the hope I am finding and the questions that my former world view forced me to ask.  

Thin places are often uncomfortable and require an “unlearning”. My paintings are an invitation to linger and wait in questioning silence.