Our World Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, E for Elizabeth

 

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt,  who created ABC, and Roger, who took over from her. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with E.

Book 1999, materials: copper, velvet and two white tiles.




Elizabeth van de Akker

The first time I met Elizabeth and her friend Susie, 58 years ago, was in an ecumenical workcamp in Zierikzee- Zeeland. The year after Zeeland was flooded in the night  of  Saturday 31 January 1953 and the morning of 1 February 1953, Students from all over the world came to help cleaning. We had to clean the soil of a particular piece of land, and to take all the bricks and rubbish out of the soil.

 

 

There I learned that Bep and Susie were students at the Academy of Fine Arts. That was the beginning of a long lasting friendship. A few weeks ago Elizabeth ( Bep) celebrated her 80th birthday. There were many people. Among them was also Susan. We talked a lot about the two workcamps we had worked in and viewed old photos.

During all this time from 1954 till now, I had the pleasure to see a lot of Bep and her art work.

Elizabeth van den Akker was born in July 1933. After grammarschool in1952 she went to Paris, where she stayed till 1953. Then she returned to Rotterdam and became a student at the Academy of Fine Arts. Her principal subject was monumental wall paintings and murals. After finishing her study,  she was looking for possibilities to exhibit her work and to get commissions.

More and more she was convinced that working with all kinds of textiles was what she wanted and did best.

 Elizabeth always works in series. Apart from textiles she also uses wood, various kinds of metal, cardboard, papier mâché and plastic.

Elizabeth is attracted by nature, music and travelling. In the seventies her first series of textile works was created around the theme "Vegetables". In 1984 Elizabeth began a new series of sculptures titled "What drifts on Water". Transparant fibre refers to a water surface, with on it and under it plants garbage and other objects which move on. In her book "Organisation et Méthode" we see the development of her work until 1999, the year in which she was already widely known.

 

You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

What drifts on water 1984 ( detail of the series)

material: glass fibre gauze, tulle, wood, papier mâché



Fleet of the past 1990 , a series of gondolas

Representing the various stages of art in history:

Greek,  then romanesque ( 900-1300),

 baroque, rococo.

Material: tulle, papier mâché.

Byzantine,1996, detail. Material: cotton,

metal, cardboard,adhesive plastic.

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These last two works are commissioned by the City of Rotterdam for two public buildings.

Headoffice public transport Rotterdam commissioned

by the city of Rotterdam 1982,material:

canvas,acryl

Police station Maashaven  commissioned

 by the city of Rotterdam 1980, material:

 mortar, plaster, wood, tissue of sisal twine.